Father Knows Best
by IMTheresa
Summary: John's new hunt worries his sons and he finds something that changes everything.
1. Chapter 1

**Father Knows Best**

Disclaimer: I still don't own them and I already miss new episodes!

A/N: I'm not sure how I feel about this story. It's similar to something else I wrote, yet very different. At any rate, I hope you enjoy it and feedback is always welcome.

oooOOOooo

It is easier for a father to have children than for children to have a real father _- Pope John XXIII_

oooOOOooo

"I need to go out of town for a job. I might be gone for a while, so Aidan is coming to take you to Jim's."

Dean Winchester looked up from his car magazine. He didn't think he'd heard his father correctly. It had been at least three years since he'd dropped them off at Pastor Jim's house on his way to a gig.

"How long are we talking about?"

John had just walked into the kitchen with a bag of groceries and he went about putting things away without answering his son's question.

"Dad?"

Dean was sure he'd seen his father's shoulders slump, just for a moment, before he put the last items into the cabinet.

"I'll be leaving tomorrow night;" he said busying himself with something on the counter.

Dean pushed the magazine aside. He didn't like the way his father was acting and he was suddenly very nervous.

"Dad, what's going on? Sammy still has school –"

"His last day is next week."

Questioning his father wasn't something that Dean normally did. He followed the rules and he obeyed the orders, but he didn't ask about his father's motivation. Normally what his father wanted made at least some kind of sense, but, even though John had been depending on him to take care of himself and Sammy for as long as he could remember, this was way out in left field.

"How long will you be gone?" Dean forced himself to ask.

"The lease on this place is up next month, so before you leave with Aidan, you'll need to pack up what doesn't belong here. There are some boxes in the shed out back if you need them. I've got some stuff in the car already. It shouldn't take too long to pack it all up."

"Next month," Dean repeated to himself. The longest his father had even been gone was a couple of weeks.

"I've paid the rent and talked to the landlord; handled the rest of the details. Sammy's school has Jim's address and they'll send his final report card there. All you need to worry about is getting your and your brother's stuff to Jim's."

Dean felt a coldness in the pit of his stomach that started to spread. He could barely feel his arms and if he'd been standing up, he was sure he would have sunk to the floor by now. He needed reassurance from his father, not more mysterious answers.

For as long as he could remember, their summers had been spent going from job to job in the Impala. John could go on hunting jobs further from the one base of operations necessary during the school year. For the last three years, he'd even been letting Dean help him in the field and the boy looked forward to these times. He loved his brother and would do anything for him, but longed to spend time with his father. He wanted to know everything his dad did about supernatural monsters; he wanted to be as good at investigating, tracking and killing them. But more than that, he just wanted to be with the man he worshipped.

"Why is Aidan coming?" Dean asked. "I can drive to Jim's."

John finally turned around. He leaned against the counter with his arms crossed over his chest. Normally this would signify that he was done talking and it was time to follow his orders. This time, though, Dean didn't see the steel determination in his father's eyes that he was used to. Instead, he saw uncertainty. His eyes didn't lock on Dean; he was looking everywhere but at him.

"Dad, please. You're scaring me."

This seemed to focus John and he finally looked at his son.

"Don't worry."

Dean didn't hear the confidence that he always heard when his father spoke.

"Why is Aidan coming?" Dean asked again. He had a lump in his throat and could barely hear his own voice.

"It's just a precaution."

"Against what?"

Dean couldn't believe he kept asking questions, nor could he believe that John was allowing it. John wasn't a tyrant, but he was a dictator. His word was law and he took no guff from anyone, least of all his sons. The teenager was afraid something was terribly wrong and he didn't know what to do about it.

John sighed and closed his eyes for a brief moment. It might have been a blink, but somehow Dean knew better. There was something his father didn't want him to know. But there were always things he didn't want Dean or Sam to know and he'd never acted like this before. The more adamant he was to keep a secret, the more stoic he was and the more he demanded obedience. This was something entirely different; something Dean could never remember seeing before.

He watched as his father sat down across from him and laid his palms flat on the cheap kitchen table. He waited, trying to be patient.

"Dean, listen to me. I know you can take care of things here. I know you can get our stuff packed up and moved to Jim's. You could have done that when you were ten." John smiled at him, hoping to put him at ease. "I know you can take care of your brother. But I would feel better with Aidan around."

"But why, Dad? What are you worried about?"

"My sons," John smiled. "I always worry about you two when I'm gone."

Before Dean could say anything else, John stood and put a hand on his shoulder. "Why don't you get your brother from school and spend a couple hours at the gym? I'll meet you at the pizza place for dinner."

Not knowing what else to do, Dean nodded and stood up.

"Son?"

He paused at the back door.

"Don't say anything to him, okay?"

"Yes, sir."

_imtIMTimt_

John stood at the window and watched Dean, telephone to his ear.

"Hello?" he heard as Dean backed the Impala out of the driveway.

"It's me."

"Is everything ready?"

"Just about. I'm leaving tomorrow night."

"You'll send the boys here, as we planned?"

"Yes,."

"With Aidan?"

"Yes, Jim."

"Are you all right?"

"I don't think so. I couldn't do it; I couldn't pull it off with Dean."

"Did you tell him?"

"No, but he's suspicious. And worried."

"I'm surprised, John. You've had a lot of practice keeping things from the boys."

"Thanks," John grumbled.

"I didn't mean it that way," Jim paused. "Exactly."

"Yeah," John said. "You did. And you're right. But I have my reasons –"

"Of course you do." Jim sounded more than a little exasperated. "You don't have to do this, you know."

John didn't respond and he heard his friend sigh.

"Yet honor tells you otherwise."

"He was a good man, Jim. He helped me when I needed it; he kept me sane when everything was spiraling out of control. If it hadn't been for him, I never would have met you –"

"John," Jim's voice was patient once again. "You don't have to be the world's hero."

"I'm not trying to be, really I'm not. But this one is different. This one is personal."

"I know it is. Maybe you should tell the boys –"

"You know I'm not going to do that. I just need to know you'll do as I've asked –"

"Of course I will, John. I couldn't care more about those boys if I was their father. But you'll take Caleb with you as you said you would?"

"Yes. And a few others. Hopefully we can get this done quickly." John paused. "Jim?"

"Yes?"

"Thank you for taking care of the boys. I know they'll be safe with you."

_imtIMTimt_

Dean drove toward Sam's high school, his mind on what had just happened at home. Something was terribly wrong and he was afraid his father was willfully going into some kind of trap. They fought monsters, supernatural beings that were evil and hurt people, but his father wasn't without his enemies. Dean couldn't help but wonder if he was going to meet one of these enemies for some reason.

He parked in front of the school and waited for Sam; his younger brother came into view a few minutes later as he came out of the front door of the two-story brick building. He was with a few other boys who, had the Winchesters lived a normal life, would have been friends.

When Sam saw the black car sitting at the curb, his said his goodbyes and headed forward. He tossed his backpack into the seat behind him and settled next to his brother.

"What's wrong?" he asked, noticing Dean's expression.

"Nothing. Dad's going off on a hunt tomorrow night. He's springing for pizza tonight."

Sam looked surprised. "He is? Why?"

Dean shrugged and started the car. "He said he'd meet us there in a couple of hours."

Sam watched his brother as he pulled into traffic. "What's the hunt?"

Dean shook his head. He didn't want to speak, he wasn't sure how long he could keep his voice from betraying him like his face had. "I don't know."

"Well, if we have a couple of hours, can you drop me off at the library so I can study?"

Dean knew they were supposed to go to the gym, but he wasn't really in the mood for a workout and he knew that Sam had exams starting in two days. He enjoyed school a great deal and his grades were very important to him.

Dean nodded. "Sure."

"Are you okay?" Sam asked after a moment.

"What's with all the questions?" he asked, sounding angrier than he intended, angrier than he even felt. Normally he could be as stoic as their father, but he couldn't manage it this time.

"Sorry," Sam said, turning back to the front.

Dean said nothing for a moment. "I'm sorry, Sammy. I – I guess I'm just pissy."

"It's okay."

They were quiet until Dean pulled into the library parking lot. "Dad wanted us to spend a couple hours at the gym, so don't let on that you were studying instead."

It wasn't the first time that Dean ignored their father's wishes for something Sam wanted, but he knew this time was different. He knew his brother better than anyone else, and he could tell something was wrong.

He didn't open the car door after Dean parked. Instead, he turned back to his brother and looked at him.

"I'll be back at 4:20," Dean said, ignoring Sam's look of concern.

"Dean –"

"Don't you have studying to do?"

Sam sighed and reached for the door handle. "Fine."

_imtIMTimt_

Dean watched Sam walk into the library, knowing if he'd had his choice, he would have gone with his friends to study. But a close second to that, ironically, was sitting alone in the public library studying by himself. Once his brother was out of sight, Dean drummed his fingers on the steering wheel, wondering how he was going to get answers. A moment later, he reached for his cell phone and dialed Aidan's number.

He and Aidan Prichard had a lot in common. Like Dean, he found out about the supernatural when he was young and basically grew up in the life. Dean's mother was killed by something they didn't yet understand and Aidan lost both parents to a demon. Granted, it was a demon his father made a deal with, but the end result was still the same.

Aidan spent the second half of his childhood in an orphanage run by Jim's church, with the pastor taking an active role in his upbringing because of his supernatural experience. If he'd been able to, he would have formally adopted they boy. John was his mentor and treated him like a son, and sometimes like a brother. He also had a talent that often came in handy on a hunt. He wasn't psychic, though occasionally had vague feelings, but he was able to see an entity even if it didn't materialize.

He wasn't a full-time hunter. Aidan was an extremely talented artist who sold his drawings and free-lanced for a small company that produced a limited number of computer games.

"Hey, Slick. I thought I might be hearing from you."

"Why?"

"Because your dad is putting me on babysitting duty."

"I don't need a babysitter, man. I never have and _I_ take care of Sammy. What's going on?"

He heard Aidan sigh. "I don't know; I really don't. I got a call from Jim a couple of days ago and he told me to finish up what I was working on and head your way. Then your dad called and basically told me the same thing."

"He's freaked out."

"What do you mean?"

"Dad isn't acting like himself at all. He's nervous and it's like he's not planning to come back."

"Come on, Slick, your dad –"

"He's sending us to Jim's with you as an escort. I'm 19, dude, and he's been leaving me and Sammy alone for years. Something isn't right; more not right than usual. He didn't tell you anything?"

"He hardly ever tells me anything."

"Yeah, I know what you mean."

oooOOOooo

John put the dresser drawer on the bed and sat down to go through the contents. Most of his meager belongings were already packed, but he'd left the dresser for last. He didn't have much left from what he thought of as _before_; when Mary was still alive and they were a happy family. Though the fire that killed her was primarily contained in the nursery, other parts of the house were damaged. He'd managed to salvage some pictures and a few other things; anything of value had been sold long ago.

He ran a gentle finger over a photo taken at their wedding. Mary's smile was infectious and even seeing it in an old picture warmed his heart. Turning a page in the album, he saw pictures of Dean as a baby, then as a toddler and preschooler. There were pictures of Sammy and of the brothers together. He noticed, not for the first time, that Dean always seemed to have a protective arm around his little brother. He took fewer pictures after Mary was gone, but there were always some to add to the album after they'd spent time with Jim. He closed the book and set it in the box at his side.

Moving aside some socks that should be thrown out, John found the small wooden box that he knew was there. The lid was decorated with an intricate tulip design. They had been Mary's favorite flower and he gave the box to her before they were married. She saved reminders of their dates: ticket stubs, napkins, and coasters, among other things. The box also contained the first baby tooth Dean lost and even some hair from his first hair cut. John hadn't opened the box in years, but he always had it with him.

He never liked leaving the boys and he hated it more than usual this time. He was always prepared in case something happened to him on a hunt, but this one was causing him to take even more precautions. This time, he was going up against something he'd only encountered once before. This thing may have been responsible for Mary's death, but it was definitely responsible for the death of one of his best friends.

oooOOOooo

Dean tossed his phone onto the seat next to him and sighed. He rarely defied his father, but justified not going to the gym because it had sounded more like a suggestion than an order. He thought about calling Jim even though he knew it would be a waste of time. The man kept John's secrets even when it was obvious he didn't want to. Worried and frustrated, Dean drove out of town on a back road. He did his best thinking in the car and enjoyed being alone with his music. He wanted to give Sam plenty of time in the library and even though he could amuse himself in the oddly adequate occult section, he didn't want to be cooped up inside.

There was a lake not too far from town that was always crowded with people in the summertime, but since it was a weekday and school was still in session, the area would be nearly deserted. Dean pulled into the makeshift parking lot and was glad to see his it was empty. He turned up the radio so he could hear it from outside the car and settled on the hood. He laid back, hands clasped behind his head, and stared at the trees hovering above him and the fluffy white clouds as they moved by.

His father might be surprised to find him relaxing this way, but Sam knew all about it. As much as Dean liked to be in a crowd, he could never pass up a quiet place to think. He especially enjoyed being around serene water; lakes and slow-moving rivers were calming and he could let his mind wander.

Dean couldn't get the thought out of his head that his father wasn't planning to come back from where ever he was going. He knew the man preferred to hunt alone, but as often as not, he would take Caleb or Aidan with him. Dean thought it was odd that Aidan was seemingly being sent to the safety of Jim's church along with them. He'd tried to reach Caleb on his way to the lake, but the call went to voicemail and he didn't think his message would be returned. Dean didn't like being sent away to be protected. He'd been taking care of things since he was a kid and even though he was still kept away from the more dangerous hunts, he knew how to handle himself. It was one thing to be left behind because Sam needed someone to look out for him, but it was quite another to be coddled.

He didn't remember much about the night his mother died, but he knew that was when his whole life changed. He knew for sure that they had been happy when his mom was alive. He remembered the fun and the laughter; always feeling safe and warm. He didn't hear his father laugh very much anymore and he never felt truly safe.

Dean sometimes still had nightmares about that night; he felt the heat from the fire and saw himself running out of the house with his baby brother in his arms. He wondered how much of what he remembered were his own memories, though. He'd heard his father's story so many times over the years that it almost felt like his own.

What would happen if their father went off on a hunt and didn't come back? Dean tried never to think about that when he and Sam were too young to be alone, yet left in a motel room on their own. He could never let on that he was scared because Sammy needed him to be strong. Besides, they always knew how to get in touch with Pastor Jim. When Caleb and Aidan were old enough, they too could be trusted to come in an emergency.

Dean wanted to know what was going on. His father never acted this way before a hunt. A long time ago, he often came home looking and feeling the worse for wear, but Dean always tried to be strong for him. He made sure that anything his dad might need was within easy reach and that Sammy was taken care of and kept out of his hair. But that was _after_ a hunt. _Before_ a hunt, he never let on that he was nervous. Dean knew that when John Winchester was scared, there was plenty of reason for it.

With no answers and no way of getting them, Dean slid off the hood of the car a little later and settled back behind the wheel. It was almost time to pick Sam up from the library and meet their father for dinner. He hoped his brother wasn't in the mood to pick a fight tonight.

oooOOOooo

Dean couldn't sleep. He lay on his back, staring at the ceiling and listening to the sounds of his brother's even breathing, but his mind was working too hard to allow slumber. He was glad things had gone well at dinner; Sam knew he was worried and did his best to stay positive and not cause any arguments. He talked about school and his upcoming exams and, for a change, their father seemed interested. It wasn't that he didn't think school was important; it was more that his focus was always on the hunt.

As he lay in bed, letting his mind wander hoping for sleep, Dean saw the bedroom door open. The room was dark, but the light from the hallway was enough to show the silhouette of his father. He didn't come into the room. Instead, he leaned against the door frame and seemed only to watch his sons. Dean stayed quiet and didn't move. A few minutes later, his father backed away and the door closed silently.

Dean heard him in the kitchen. He waited, not sure he wanted to interrupt his father's nocturnal wandering, but thought he might have a better chance of getting honesty from him due to the late hour. Being careful not to wake his brother, Dean pulled on the earlier discarded pair of jeans and walked to the kitchen. He got a glass from the cupboard and filled it with tap water; his father watched from the small table.

"It's late," John said, his tone neutral.

"I was thirsty. You, too?" He nodded toward the bottle of Jack Daniels on the table.

"Grab a glass and sit down."

Even though he was underage, this wasn't the first time Dean drank with his father. He dumped the water into the sink and sat down. John poured each of them a generous shot and set the bottle in the middle. He held up his glass and waited for Dean to do the same.

"What are we drinking to?" Dean asked.

John shrugged. "How about to our family?"

Dean nodded and threw back the shot. He watched as John refilled their glasses.

"Dad?"

John finished the second shot, his eyes avoiding his son. Dean moved the bottle away.

"Please, Dad."

He watched as his father stared into the empty glass, seemingly struggling with his emotions. Dean had never seen his father quite this way; not even after a hunt. He looked almost haunted; his eyes held no emotion and Dean felt a coldness coming from him that was unfamiliar.

"What is this job, Dad?" Dean whispered.

"I'm not going to tell you." John finally looked into his son's eyes. "But I will tell you that I'm not going in alone. Caleb will be with me and a few others you don't know."

"Why do you think we need Aidan here? Why isn't he going with you?"

John reached for the bottle and Dean didn't try to stop him. He refilled his own glass, but this time only sipped the alcohol.

"Jim doesn't want him with me. Jim wants him at home."

"So Caleb is expendable, but Aidan isn't?"

"It's not like that, son."

"What is it like, then?"

John covered his face with his hands, then rubbed his eyes and looked at Dean. He couldn't read his father's expression.

"It's complicated. But we'll talk about it when I get back."

"So, you're coming back?" Dean looked at the table.

"Dean –"

"Because the way you were talking, the plans you were making, it sounded like maybe not."

"I always plan to come back."

Dean looked at him. "This time, too?"

John laid a hand on his son's wrist. "This time, too."

_imtIMTimt_

John sent Dean back to bed and, alone in the kitchen with his thoughts, he knew he was screwing up. He tried to maintain a wall between the boys and the hunts because he didn't want them to worry. The wall was supposed to hold back all of his fear and uncertainty, but this time he just couldn't manage it. He told Dean that he always planned to come back and he did, but he knew that not all plans worked out.

He could suddenly picture what Mary looked like when she was pinned to the ceiling above his younger son's crib. He closed his eyes against the memory, but he could still see it. She was slashed across the abdomen and her blood dripped on his hand. He saw himself handing the baby to Dean and telling him to run, trying to save his wife, then running out of the house himself when he realized it was fruitless. He saw Dean frozen to a spot outside of the house, holding his brother and staring up at the flames coming from the second floor window. He ran faster, needing to get them away from the house, and scooped them both up as he continued to a safer distance.

The next several days were a blur. A part of him died with Mary, but instinct had taken over and he somehow managed to take care of the boys with the help of his business partner and his wife. He knew what he saw and he knew it was impossible. How could she be on the ceiling? It wasn't logical. He started looking for answers and somehow he found his way to Missouri Moseley, a psychic who showed him an entirely new world. She pulled aside the thin curtain that separated his reality from the truth and he learned about the monsters that existed. He knew that his baby, his innocent boy, was somehow tied to the thing that killed Mary and he was determined to keep Sam safe from it.

The first hunter John met was Daniel Elkins. He was a mean, lying sonofabitch who taught John what he needed to know, but continued to insist he walk away from his boys and leave them with others to raise. He was adamant that he couldn't be a father and a hunter. Looking back, John couldn't help but think he was right. He was a much better hunter than he was a father, but he loved his boys unconditionally and did what he thought was best. He couldn't leave them with innocent people when something evil might come for Sam. He had to protect them and he couldn't do that if they were apart.

Daniel led him to Alec Saunders. Alec was hunter a few years older than John who had lost his mother to the same evil that invaded John's world. He was six months old when his mother was killed in a fire in his nursery and almost 20 when he suddenly developed psychic abilities. Through the similarities in their history, they found friendship and Alec introduced him to more of the hunter's world, including their trusted ally, an unassuming pastor.

After losing an arm in a particularly brutal battle several years ago, Alec retired from active hunting, but he researched and continued to look for his mother's killer. He sent John tips for jobs and they shared every piece of information they found.

It was only a few days ago that word of Alec's death reached Jim and he didn't hesitate to contact John. He'd been found intentionally burned and with a slash through his abdomen. The police theorized that he was attacked by some kind of ritual killer who had extinguished the fire before the body was destroyed, though they had no theory as to why. Jim and John knew the truth even though his death didn't fit the pattern they had only recently begun to discover.

John reached for the bottle of whiskey and poured a liberal shot. They boys knew about Alec and had met him a few times, but after losing his arm, he became somewhat unpredictable. John still trusted him with his life, but he didn't trust him with his children.

They knew exactly what had killed Aidan's parents and why. They had no reason to believe he was connected to what they now knew was a demon, but Jim still wanted him nowhere near this hunt. He was afraid some kind of connection they hadn't yet discovered would put him in too much danger. John wanted Aidan with him in the fight, but understood Jim's concerns. Though he didn't agree with it, the pastor was one of the few people who didn't constantly berate John for the way he was raising his children and he owned the man some loyalty for that. Jim loved Aidan like a son and if he wanted him away from the hunt, John was in no position to protest that decision.

He was torn between going in alone and going with an army. They still didn't know enough about this demon, but each encounter left them with another piece of the puzzle and John recognized that he needed backup.

He swallowed the last of the Jack Daniels and put the bottle away before heading off to bed.

oooOOOooo

"Everything okay?"

Dean rolled out from under the Impala later and saw his father standing above him.

"Yeah, just making sure everything is okay for the trip to Jim's. She needed a tune-up anyway."

"We usually work on her together."

"I figured you'd be tired. I checked out your weapons; everything looks good."

John held out a hand to help Dean up. He hesitated for a moment, then took it. He wiped his hands on the rag he'd stuffed into his back pocket and looked at his father when he put a hand around his shoulders.

"Come inside for a few minutes. I have some errands to run, but I want to talk to you."

Hesitantly, Dean followed his father into the house. He washed his hands in the kitchen sink as John pulled two sodas from the refrigerator and sat at the table.

"About last night," John began uncomfortably. "You shouldn't have had to deal with that. I'm still not going to tell you about the job just yet, but I will say again that I'm planning to be at Jim's in a couple of weeks or sooner if I can manage it. I took care of things here because that's what a father should do. Don't read anything into the arrangements I've made."

Dean nodded, still not feeling any more at ease.

"I didn't want you to worry, but I've already screwed that up so maybe you can do your best to keep your brother from worrying. Take the next couple of weeks as a vacation. Goof off and have fun. Eat junk food, don't work out, do whatever kids do on vacation." John looked at him affectionately. "And when I get to Jim's, we'll find some jobs to handle together. Just the three of us. And maybe Aidan and Caleb, occasionally."

Dean couldn't help but smile. The best times of his life were with his family.

"Yes, sir."

"I have things to do before I leave tonight. Are you picking your brother up this afternoon?"

"Yeah, he's staying late to study so it will be about 4:30."

"How about you come with me, then? It won't take long and then I'll help you with your car."

"Yeah. Just give me a second to clean up."

John nodded and watched as Dean left the kitchen. He sat back in his chair and smiled to himself.

oooOOOooo

"I've got to go, kiddo," John said to Dean later.

Dean nodded, struggling to hold himself together. He never liked to see his father leave, but this time was harder than normal.

"I talked to Aidan a little while ago and he's on schedule to be here tomorrow afternoon."

Dean nodded again.

John put his arm around his son's shoulders. Since coming back from dinner, he and Dean had been sitting on the couch and pretending to watch a movie. Sam stayed with them for a while, but reluctantly went to his room to study. John stood up a moment later.

"I'm going to talk to Sammy for a few minutes. I'll be back,"

Dean watched as his father walked away.

"Hey," John sat on the edge of Sam's bed and the boy turned from the desk.

"You going?"

He nodded.

"Dean okay?"

"You might want to take it easy on him for a day or two," John smiled sadly.

Sam glanced away. "He's worried about this job."

"Yeah, I know."

"Should he be?"

John leaned forward and laid a hand on Sam's knee. "It's just another job."

Sam nodded.

"You okay?"

"Sure."

"Don't study yourself crazy, okay? You'll do fine on your exams."

Sam smirked.

"You will," John smiled at him. "So, I'll see you in a couple of weeks at Jim's."

"Yes sir," Sam said quietly.

John squeezed his knee. "I love you, kid."

Sam looked at him, surprised. "Dad, is Dean right to be worried?"

John smiled at him encouragingly. "Good luck on your tests, son."

Dean was leaning against his car in the driveway when John walked out of the house a few minutes later.

"I put your bag in your car."

"Thanks. I'll call tomorrow."

Dean nodded.

"It's going to be okay."

He nodded again and John pulled him into a hug. Dean grabbed a handful of his shirt and held on tight.

"It's going to be okay," John said again.

"Be careful, Dad."

"I'm always careful, kiddo. Look, I'm sorry I've worried you, but I plan to come back from this just like I've planned to come back from every other hunt."

"You better," Dean forced himself to say.

John gave him another squeeze and then pulled away. "Take care of your brother."

"Yes, sir."

John put a hand on his shoulder. "And take care of yourself. Don't give Aidan too hard a time."

"I promise."

"Make sure you keep the doors and windows salted."

Dean nodded. "I will."

John smiled. "I love you, kiddo. I'll see you soon."

"See you soon," Dean said, hardly able to speak.

Dean watched as his father got behind the wheel of his car and backed out of the driveway. He couldn't get rid of the feeling that this would be the last time he saw the man alive. When he turned back to the house, Sam was standing in the doorway. He wiped his face quickly and joined his brother. Without a word, they walked into the house and sat on the couch together. Neither one paid attention to what was on television, but they sat side by side until the program was over.

oooOOOooo

John drove for three hours to get to the town where he was meeting up with Caleb. He found his friend in a bar where they'd met several times before. He ordered a beer and carried it to the table.

"John."

"Caleb," he said then took a long draw from the mug.

"It's not good that you already look like shit."

"Thanks for the constructive criticism."

Caleb leaned forward. "Rough with the boys?"

John nodded.

"Sorry, man."

"It's my own fault. I didn't do a very good job of hiding my emotions from Dean this time."

"Maybe you shouldn't keep hiding things from him," Caleb said carefully. He knew as well as anyone else that John had his own ideas about raising the boys and he wasn't about to take advice; especially from someone who didn't have children. "He's nineteen, he's starting to hunt with you and on his own. He's a part of the team, John."

"Yes, he is. But there are some things I just can't tell him."

"How do you expect him to help if he doesn't know the whole story?"

John looked at him coldly, but the expression softened quickly. "He's a good boy. He'll do what he's supposed to, even if he doesn't know all the reasons why."

As Caleb watched, John drained his beer and asked for another.

"I appreciate your help on this one," John said.

"No problem."

"It could be a tough one."

"Yep," Caleb agreed.

"The whole damn thing might have been easier if Elkins had agreed to help," John grumbled.

"Maybe so, but you've always said he was a mean bastard who only cared about himself. I don't know how that kind of person even becomes a hunter."

"He liked killing," John shrugged. "At least doing this wouldn't land him in jail for murder. I know he has information about this thing."

"What makes you so sure?"

"I just am," John said, determined. "The expression on his face every time I brought it up…. He knows something."

"Why wouldn't he share?"

"What part of mean bastard indicates to you that he might be willing to share? He's a cretin, Caleb. You're well off to remember that and stay away from him."

"Jim said the same thing. I've never met the man."

"Count yourself lucky."

"I rented us a room for the night," Caleb changed the subject. "We'll head out to Alec's in the morning. What happened to his body?"

"His sister claimed it and had him cremated," John said. "I talked to her yesterday and she said she'd get the ashes in a few days. Alec wanted her to scatter them at some lake near his place; she asked if I wanted to be there."

"I think you should be."

"We'll see."

"It will do you good to get some closure."

"You been reading self help books again, Caleb?"

"Screw you, John," Caleb said through his smile.

After another couple of drinks and some food, they went to the motel where Caleb had arranged for a room. John called the boys before falling into bed.

oooOOOooo

John and Caleb left the next morning in John's car. The bar owner was sensitive to hunters often helped where he could; he let Caleb park his car behind the building. They made the trip in near silence, but it was comfortable. They knew each other well enough to communicate with just a look if necessary and that was very helpful on a hunt.

They planned to search Alec's house, hoping the police hadn't disturbed things too much with their investigation. Other hunters were meeting them at Bobby Singer's salvage yard to help go through Alec's documents and develop a plan of attack Bobby was another trusted Winchester ally and though he wasn't particularly experienced in the field, his knowledge was invaluable. He was an expert in demon possession and owned books that contained all manner of ancient rituals and information. John's sons had never met him, but they knew about him and John could well imagine Sam losing himself for hours amongst Bobby's books.

It was late afternoon by the time they arrived and, after a quick meal, John and Caleb made their way to Alec's home. It was situated on several acres that had been left mostly wild and was miles away from the nearest people. His sister lived in town and she knew about the paranormal, but other than very peripheral assistance, she had been kept apart from that world.

The house was just as John remembered it and reminiscent of Bobby's cluttered home. Both men had more reference material than even some well-stocked libraries and no one else understood their version of organization. Though small, it still took quite a bit of time to search every room thoroughly, especially since they had no idea what they were looking for. But that was generally the case; investigating a paranormal event was very much like investigating a crime. Anything could be important so the inspection always had to be methodical.

"Well?" Caleb asked when they were done with the first pass.

John sighed and rolled his stiff shoulders. "There's nothing jumping out at me, but we need to go through those books. Where the hell did he hide his journal and research data?"

Caleb was silent.

"You saw the ceiling in the bedroom?"

"Looks like the fire started there."

John nodded in agreement. "Did you get the crime scene photos?"

"Bobby's got 'em."

"I think the police are going to treat this as some kind of occult thing, but I doubt they'll look too far. Alec was a recluse and his sister isn't going to encourage the police to find the killers," John said and started to pace. "Why kill Alec?"

"There has to be a reason?"

John glanced at him.

"What?" Caleb asked suspiciously.

John looked at him briefly as he continued to pace.

"Aw, shit, John. What haven't you told me?"

"It's nothing," John said and shrugged. "Much."

"John," Caleb moaned.

"I talked to Alec a couple of weeks ago. He thought he might be on to something, but he wouldn't tell me what."

"Is that where you learned it from?"

"Learned what?" John asked, confused. He'd stopped pacing and was standing in the middle of the room.

"That damned secrecy of yours!" Caleb took a deep breath, not wanting to start a fight. "Anyway, so this something he was on to…."

John rubbed his face. "I have no clue, but the only thing he was actively working on was this fucking demon. He kept records, same as the rest of us. Where are they?"

"His sister?" Caleb guessed.

"Probably. We'll talk to her tomorrow."

_imtIMTimt_

John and Caleb found Alec's sister at home the next morning. She greeted them warmly and supplied them with strong, hot coffee. They sat in the dining room of the house that she had shared with her husband until his death last year. He'd suffered from cancer for several years and when his condition worsened yet again, he elected not to receive any more treatment. They didn't have children, but doted on their cats and the horses in the stable behind the house.

"Louisa," John began after the obligatory small-talk. "Did Alec leave his journals with you?"

"No, but I know where he hid his work. It isn't easy to find; it would be better if I went out to his place and showed you."

"We'd appreciate that," he said. "I hope you don't mind, but we've called one of our contacts to deal with all of his books."

"Of course not. I'm grateful for any help you can provide to clean the place out. I have no idea what most of that stuff is. There are some personal mementoes I'd like to keep, but the rest of it, you're more than welcome to."

"Thanks, I'm sure it will all be helpful. Caleb and I can help you bring back the things you want to keep when we go out for his documents if you'd like."

"Thank you," she said and laid her hand on his. "Alec felt very close to you, John. I know he'd appreciate his things being in your hands."

"I hope so," John said. He didn't miss Caleb's grin.

"I know you didn't get involved with his work, but do you know anything about what he's been working on?"

She shook her head. "No, I'm sorry. He refused to talk to me about any of it. I only know where his documents are hidden."

John moved his hand away from hers and wrapped both around his mug. "Do you mind going out there with us now?"

"Not at all," she smiled at him and squeezed his hand. "I'll be ready to go in just a moment."

Caleb and John watched as she left the room. Caleb slapped John on the back. "She's flirting with you!"

"What? No, she isn't. Her brother just died and –"

"And she's _flirting_ with you."

John ignored the wide grin on his friend's face. "Her brother was my friend, I –"

"Whatever, John." Caleb rolled his eyes and finished his coffee.

_imtIMTimt_

Louisa led them to a spot almost a half mile from Alec's house. Hidden behind some large rocks and lush bushes was a small metal door built into the ground and disguised to look like the dirt that surrounded it. It was secured with a complicated series of locks that she expertly worked her way through, explaining that Alec made sure she would be able to access the contents.

Once it was opened, John and Caleb could see a small vault had been built underground. Once opened, they saw it held what looked like years of research. There were journals, folders, and various kinds of loose documents that John gathered up and secured in the bag Caleb had carried.

He and Caleb waited while Louisa went through the house, packing only one box.

"Take whatever you think will help you with your work," she said while looking at John. "Once your people are done here, let me know and I'll take care of the rest."

He nodded. "Thank you for being so cooperative."

She looked around and shrugged. "I don't understand this world. Alec always wanted me to be apart from it. I was four when his father met my mother; they got married two years later. Alec was seven years older than me and always took care of me."

"I didn't realize you weren't related by blood. I assumed you had the same father," John said. "I guess we never talked about it."

Louisa smiled sadly. "He was a good brother."

John put his arm around her shoulders and led her back out to the car. Caleb followed, carrying the small box she had packed.

They drove back to her house and though John wanted to get back to the motel to delve into the documents they retrieved, he didn't want to leave her alone when she was upset. He accepted her offer of tea, but gave Caleb a dirty look when he declined. Instead, he said he would take the documents with him and start to catalog and organize them for John's inspection.

The older hunter didn't feel entirely comfortable alone with Louisa. He got the feeling she was interested in more than he was willing to give. Once Caleb had gone, though, and Louisa started to reminisce about her childhood with Alec, he started to relax.

_imtIMTimt_

When John got back to the motel room, he found Caleb surrounded by piles of paper and books.

"I can't figure this out, John," Caleb said as soon as his friend had closed the door. "I think it's all kind of organized, but I don't know what any of it means."

John took an initial perusal of the piles. "I'll work on it. Did you call Jim?"

"Yeah, he's sending a couple librarians; they should be here tomorrow. When do you want to head to Bobby's?"

"I don't know," John sat down and started going through documents. "Maybe tomorrow; once I've had a chance to look through everything."

"Things okay with Louisa?"

"Fine," John said without really hearing the question. He looked up a moment later. "What?"

Caleb smiled. "You're not even the least bit tempted?"

"She's my newly dead friend's sister."

"So?"

"I'm here to do a job."

Caleb stood up and stretched. "Do you ever have any fun?"

John ignored him.

"She's obviously in to you."

"Just drop it, okay?"

Caleb hid a smile. This was a conversation they'd had a hundred times before. John was no saint, but he had no intention of getting close to a woman while he was still hunting the thing that killed his wife. Caleb didn't doubt that if Mary had died in some other way, that if there had been no need to hunt down her killer, John still would shun a romantic relationship. He was devoted to her and even tough Caleb had never met Mary, he knew she had to be special to tame the likes of John Winchester.

He was of no use to his friend right now. John had moved into research mode and wouldn't even notice Caleb leaving. He decided to get some fresh air and come back later with food for both of them.

_imtIMTimt_

"Are you still awake?" Caleb groaned when he opened his eyes and saw John sitting at the desk in their motel room. He sat up and rubbed his eyes. "What time is it?"

"Alec had all this information, but he didn't put it together. He didn't know what he had."

Caleb sat up. "What do you mean?"

John waved his hand over the piles of paper on the desk and on the floor around him. "Weather patterns, disappearances, deaths…. Jesus, Caleb. It's all here."

Caleb threw his legs over the side of the bed. "What's all here?"

"How to find the demon."

"What?" Caleb felt cold inside.

"We can track it now. I found the pattern that Alec was looking for."

Caleb wanted to join his friend across the room, but didn't think his legs would hold him. They'd known they were probably dealing with a demon, but there had been a definite lack of proof before. There were patterns – nursery fires, children who developed paranormal abilities within a few years of turning 18, disappearances…. But to be able to track the bastard now? That was huge.

"John –"

The older man leaned back in his chair and covered his mouth with one hand.

"Okay," Caleb took a deep breath. "We can track it. We'll find it and exorcise it."

"It will just come back if we do that. We have to find a way to kill it."

"_Kill it_?" Caleb asked incredulously. "You can't kill a demon."

"Daniel Elkins knew of a weapon that can kill anything. That's one of the things the motherfucker is keeping to himself."

Caleb couldn't form a coherent thought.

"Let's pack up and get to Bobby's. The others should be there by now."

"Yeah, about that. So, the plan was to get all the brain power in one place and go through Alec's stuff. You've done that on your own so what –"

John rubbed his face. "We're going to summon the demon."

"We're going to…. John, I…. What?"

John stood up and paced around the room.

"We summon it and we will exorcise it, but only to give us some time to work on Elkins or find the weapon without him."

"John –"

The other man continued to pace, seemingly oblivious to Caleb's presence in the room.

"It's either making children with abilities or marking ones who are born with them. We can't let it come back for Sammy," John looked at his friend. "We can't let it come back for any of the children."

"It didn't come back for Alec; how do you know –"

"We think it did."

"What?"

"Alec developed some pretty powerful psychic abilities. About a year after they started to manifest, he started dreaming about a demon with yellow eyes. It tried to make convince him to do things in the dreams, bad things. Alec was able to resist, but as he did, his abilities grew less predictable and less effective. It was our theory that was the demon that killed his mother and it was trying to get him to join it. We think that once their abilities start to develop, it tries to get to all of the children it visits in their cribs."

"For what purpose?" Caleb asked quietly.

John shook his head. "I don't know."

"That doesn't make me feel very good."

"Tell me about it."

_TBC_


	2. Chapter 2

**Father Knows Best**

**Chapter 2**

Disclaimer: See chapter 1

A/N: Thanks for the reviews so far… and to Kelli for her patience with me!

oooOOOooo

_I've developed a new philosophy... I only dread one day at a time - Charles Schulz_

oooOOOooo

"John?" Caleb began once they were on the road.

"What?"

"This isn't an ordinary demon."

"I know."

"So how do you know we'll even be able to exorcise it?"

"All demons can be exorcised; Bobby will be able to find the right ritual."

"Swell."

"You can get out any time you want," John said, not looking at him and without anger. "Any of you can. This is my fight."

"Since when?"

"It's my son this bastard wants."

"We don't know that. Besides, hunters don't let each other down. We're there for each other. Caleb looked at him. "As for me, you and your boys? You're family."

John glanced at him. "Thanks."

oooOOOooo

Aidan had arrived on Thursday afternoon as promised and two days later, things were still running smoothly at the Winchester home. At first, Dean seemed to feel that Aidan's presence was in insult to his ability to take care of things, but he gradually realized that Aidan was as much in the dark as he was and in no better a position to take care of Sam and get them moved.

They spent a long time talking about it and Dean learned that the 27-year old felt no differently about the situation than he did; he didn't appreciate being left out of what was supposed to be an important hunt and relegated to his childhood home. It wasn't that he minded being with Sam and Dean, but he thought his abilities were being wasted. He was also somewhat insulted that he was being sent to a safe house instead of being allowed to help John with whatever was going on.

Sam's first exam had been on Friday morning and on Saturday, he still felt good about it. He planned to spend most of his time studying alone over the weekend, but he'd already told the guys he sometimes hung out with that he would be moving as soon as the finals were over. There was talk of a party on Tuesday afternoon to celebrate the end of the school year and as a bon voyage to him.

So far, John had called when he promised he would and tried to sound like he was all right. Dean appreciated the effort, but he was worried nonetheless. John still refused to tell him anything about the job and Aidan couldn't get anything out of Caleb, either.

Dean opened his eyes on Saturday morning and glanced at the clock on the bedside table. He was surprised that it wasn't even 6:00 yet and he wondered what woke him up. He and Aidan went out the night before, and although they were home early, he was surprised to be awake already. He was about to slip out of bed when he heard Sam moan in his sleep. When he looked to the next bed, he saw Sam writhing with a pained expression on his face.

"Sam?" Dean threw his legs over the side of the bed and leaned forward. "Sammy?"

He rushed to Sam's side when he bolted up, calling out for their father. Dean grabbed his shoulders and Sam reached out for him instinctively, but his eyes weren't focused on his brother. Aidan appeared in the doorway a moment later, but Dean waved him away. He left them alone, but didn't go far.

"Sam, talk to me."

"Dean?"

"Right here, man. You okay?" Dean let him go, but didn't move away.

Sam nodded.

"You wanna tell me about it?"

Sam said nothing and Dean couldn't help but notice that he was shaking.

"You called out for Dad," Dean said gently.

"He was running from something," Sam whispered. He ran his fingers through his hair, then looked at his brother. "It was all jumbled, but I saw him running."

"It was just a dream."

"It didn't feel like a dream."

"What are you saying?"

"Nothing; just that it felt real."

"Dad is okay."

Sam didn't respond. Dean remembered more than one night when John had left them alone that Sam woke up from a nightmare, calling out for their father. Back then all it took to make him feel better was a hug and crawling into bed with him, but Dean didn't think that would work this time.

"It was so real."

"You've been studying like crazy and you're nervous about the rest of your tests. Plus, you're worried about Dad so it makes sense you'd have nightmares. But, Sammy, it was just a dream."

Sam nodded uncertainly.

Dean laid a hand on his brother's arm. "You okay?"

The younger man took a shaky breath and nodded. "I'm gonna go to the bathroom."

Dean nodded and moved out of his way. He watched over his shoulder as Sam left the room. He believed the nightmare had been caused by stress, but he wasn't so sure that their father was really all right.

Sam closed the bathroom door behind him and leaned heavily against it. He'd never had a dream so vivid or one that had felt so real. He could still see the disjoined images of the dream; there was his father running from something Sam couldn't see, Caleb shooting at something, and the pair of them running through what looked like a junk yard. He tried to shake the vision from his mind, it remained and he started to breathe hard again. He bent over, hands on his knees, and tried to calm himself, but the more he tried, the less successful he was.

Afraid he might pass out, Sam straightened up again and leaned heavily against the sink. A moment later he managed to splash cold water on his face and the memory of the dream faded just a little. He heard Dean knock on the door and call his name, but he couldn't make himself answer. He knew if he didn't, Dean would just open the door and he didn't want his brother to see him this way. Sam had locked the door when he closed it, but that wouldn't stop Dean for long.

"I'll be right out," Sam called. He turned to his reflection in the mirror and, just for a split second, was sure he saw something behind him. Knowing better than to turn around too quickly when his head was still spinning, he looked back into the mirror. This time, he saw nothing that shouldn't be there.

Dean was leaning against the wall when Sam opened the door a moment later.

"You okay?" he asked quickly.

"Yeah. It was just a dream, right?"

Dean looked at him uncertainly.

"I'm gonna try to get a couple more hours of sleep before I hit the books." Sam said and walked past him. He saw Aidan standing just down the hall. "I'm okay, guys. You can back off now."

"Sam –"

"I said I'm okay." He sounded more harsh than he intended and Sam immediately looked to his brother apologetically.

Dean only nodded.

_imtIMTimt_

"Hey."

Dean looked up as Aidan walked into the kitchen later. It was still early, but Dean hadn't gone back to bed. He spent a few minutes watching Sam from the doorway and, convinced he was sleeping peacefully, he made coffee and settled at the kitchen table.

"Hey."

"What's got you so worried, Slick?" Aidan poured a cup of coffee for himself and sat across from Dean. "The runt is okay; it was just a dream."

"He's never reacted to a dream that way before."

"You think it was more than a dream?"

"My brother isn't some freak. He's not psychic," he glanced at his friend. "Sorry."

"No problem. I'm not a psychic."

Dean couldn't resist a momentary smile. "But you _are_ a freak."

"Nice, Slick. Real nice."

Dean took a sip of coffee and his attitude sobered.

"Look, Dean, I think Sammy's dream was caused by the stress of his exams. He freaked out because your dad was in the dream. Don't let it get to you like this."

"If the dream was caused by him being worried about his tests, why did he dream about Dad? Why not about going to school naked like a normal kid?"

"Because Sammy isn't a normal kid. Don't look for trouble where there isn't any."

Dean looked at him. "Dad and Jim didn't want you here because there's no trouble."

Aidan couldn't disagree.

oooOOOooo

John called Bobby to let him know he and Caleb were on their way. He gave him a summary of what he wanted to do and Bobby had some preliminary research done by the time they arrived. He also had food ready for them and, as they ate, he told them what he had found in his reading. He couldn't help but add commentary about how crazy he thought John's idea was.

"Are you saying you found a ritual that should work?" John asked, ignoring his friend's negativity.

Bobby sighed and looked irritated. "Yes, I found something that should work. But I can't say how long this thing will be kept in Hell. It might not be long enough to do any good."

"It has to be. As soon as it's done, I'll go to Elkins and… _convince_ him to give up the weapon."

"The _alleged _weapon," Bobby pointed out.

John looked at him. "I know Elkins. If he doesn't have the weapon, he knows where it is."

Bobby looked at Caleb, seemingly for help, but the younger man said nothing.

"You found something to summon it?" John asked.

"The usual things should work well enough for that. You know the rituals as well as I do," Bobby said, sounding angry. "I have everything in one of the garages at the end of the property. We just have to put it all together."

"You want to do it here?" Caleb broke his silence.

"May as well. If it doesn't work, I won't need a place to live."

John sighed to himself. "It's going to work."

"Well, then. John Winchester has spoken; let it be so." Bobby walked away.

There were a few other hunters in Bobby's house, going over the documents brought from Alec's home. While they worked, John and Caleb went to the garage where Bobby had put the herbs and other things they'd need to summon and then exorcise the demon. There were potions to make, symbols to draw and other rituals to perform before they could do what John wanted.

He knew that his friends didn't like the plan, but John was grateful that they were sticking with him anyway. He couldn't help but notice they didn't have any suggestions of their own, but rather than leaving him to execute the idea alone, they were willing to help him.

John's mind was on a million things as he went about doing what needed to be done. One thing he couldn't get out of his head was his sons and the life he'd forced them into. He had just wanted to find his wife's killer and the more he looked for it and the more he learned, the more he found himself sucked into the hunter lifestyle. And when he discovered he was up against a demon and that Sam was probably involved in its plan, John became all the more adamant that his choices were the right ones.

He honestly believed the secrecy was necessary. He'd already put so much on them; they had to deal with so much. How could he tell Dean that a demon might be after his brother? And what of Sam? How was he supposed to live every day knowing he might one day become a part of the demon's strategy? John knew his friends didn't approve of the secrecy, but he could trust them to do as he asked and not go behind his back to tell his boys what he didn't want them to know. He'd also started keeping the boys away from hunters he didn't know well because he knew there were those who might see Sam as something to be hunted some day and it was just easier limiting their access.

It would take a couple of days to complete the preparations. Late Saturday evening, after a couple of mistakes that resulted in small explosions, Bobby insisted they eat and get a few hours of rest. John was exhausted and had to choice but to agree, but he called home before going to bed.

oooOOOooo

Dean was tired of Sam's hibernation. He knew his brother wanted to study, but he'd been in their room all day. He refused to talk any more about the dream and he barely came out long enough to eat. After Aidan left the house on some made up excuse, Dean pushed his way into the bedroom and sat on the edge of Sam's bed, which was closer to the desk where he sat.

"Sammy, you need a break."

"I'm fine."

"You've been in here all day. You skipped breakfast and lunch and you hardly ate any dinner. You need to get out of this room, get out of the house. I'm not taking no for an answer."

"No," Sam didn't even turn around.

"Sam."

The younger man sighed and turned around. "I need to study."

"You need a break. You're going to burn out if you're not careful." Dean leaned forward. "I'm worried about you."

Sam averted his brother's gaze.

"Sammy?"

"How was he with you? Before he left, I mean."

Dean was surprised by the question, but he shrugged and clasped his hands between his knees. "Probably the same as he was with you."

"He told me he loved me," Sam said quietly. "He doesn't say that too much anymore."

"Doesn't mean he doesn't feel it."

"I know," Sam nodded. "But it made me feel weird to hear him say it. Like it would be the last time."

"He's coming back," Dean said quietly, but determined. "He is."

"What if –"

"There's no what if, Sam. Dad always comes back."

"I used to think about that," Sam said quietly, not looking at his brother.

"About what?"

"What would happen if Dad just didn't come back."

"I would have taken care of you."

"I know that," Sam said quickly. "But I still thought about what would happen to us. And if we'd ever find out what had happened –"

Dean didn't want to think about any of this. He stood up suddenly. "Let's get out of here for a while. It's not that late; we can find something to do for a while and you can study again tomorrow."

Sam reluctantly agreed and they were on their way out of the front door when the telephone rang. After talking to their father for a while, both brothers were in even more need of getting out of the house. It had nothing to do with _what_ he said, but _how_ he said it. They were convinced things were not going as well as John would have them believe.

_imtIMTimt_

Aidan was dozing on the couch with the television on when the brothers got home later. He heard the door open and was immediately on alert until he saw them. He was glad they both looked more relaxed than he'd seen them recently, but he knew that they hadn't completely forgotten their concerns.

"I was starting to worry about you two," he said through a yawn.

Dean grinned. "Yeah, I can see that."

"I hope we didn't keep you away from your beauty sleep," Sam added.

"Very funny."

Sam smiled. "I'm going to bed; I'll see you in the morning."

"G'night, Sammy," Dean said. "I'm right behind you."

"You guys okay?" Aidan asked when Sam was gone. Dean joined him on the couch.

"Yeah. Dad called before we left; he was still being mysterious. He sounded stressed."

"Your dad always sounds stressed," Aidan pointed out.

Dean nodded. "True."

"Sam talk any more about his nightmare?"

"No," Dean said thoughtfully. "But I think he's holding something back."

"Like what?"

"He saw more than he's told me," Dean sighed. "I'll get it out of him. Hey, thanks for giving me time alone with him tonight."

"No problem."

Dean grinned. "I'm sure it was tough for you to do nothing but hit on girls all night."

"I'm man enough to handle the challenge."

"I'm sure you are," Dean laughed and stood up. "I'll see you in the morning, man."

"'Night, Slick."

_imtIMTimt_

Dean felt like he'd just closed his eyes when he heard Sam shout. His hand instinctively closed around the knife he kept under his pillow and he leapt out of bed. He quickly assessed the room and saw no danger; Aidan was already in the doorway before Dean realized that Sam was dreaming. He was writhing, tangled in the covers and muttering, but definitely still sleeping. Dean motioned for his friend to hold back and he sat on the edge of his brother's bed and grabbed his wrists.

Sam's eyes opened and he began to struggle, but Dean was sure he was still asleep. He called his brother's name again and tried to calm him, but it took much longer than he expected for Sam to wake up. A sheen of sweat covered his face, his eyes were still somewhat glassy and he was holding a fistful of Dean's shirt that he didn't seem willing to turn loose. Dean sat close to him, a hand still on his arm, waiting for his breathing to calm. Aidan stood just outside the door; far enough away to give them some privacy, but close by in case he was needed.

"You okay?" Dean asked after a moment.

Sam nodded, but his hands were shaking.

"Same nightmare?"

"I want to talk to Dad."

"Sammy –"

"Please, Dean, I need to talk to him."

"It's late, Sammy, or early –"

"Dean," Sam pleaded, with tears in his eyes.

Dean looked at him, concerned, then nodded. "All right."

The three of them headed for the kitchen and Sam grabbed the telephone while Aidan busied himself making coffee. The sun had barely started to rise, but he knew he wouldn't be getting any more sleep. Dean sat close to his brother as he dialed their father's cell phone number.

_imtIMTimt_

John was walking through Bobby's salvage yard, looking around and thinking, when his phone started to ring. He absently pulled it from his pocket and answered it. "Winchester."

"Dad? It's Sam."

He was immediately on alert. "Sammy? Is something wrong?"

"I…. I don't know."

John thought he sounded defeated. "Is your brother all right? Aidan?"

"Yeah, it's nothing like that. Nothing has happened here."

"Then what is it?" John asked, trying not to sound impatient.

"I – I've had a couple of nightmares and they, well, they feel different than normal dreams."

"Tell me about them," he said, leaning against a gutted car. He learned a long time ago to trust his instincts and he believed that dreams weren't always a product of the subconscious.

"There's not much to tell; just some jumbled images. But I've seen you, Caleb and other people I don't know running from something. I've seen you running through woods, down a two-lane road and through a junk yard."

John stood straight. "A junk yard?"

"Yes, sir."

John didn't like the shaky tone of his son's voice. He also didn't like that he was having dreams about people running through a junk yard because it was probably the very place he was now standing. He asked Sam to describe some of the people he saw in the dreams and, though he couldn't remember anyone very clearly, he was fairly accurate with his description of Bobby. The boys had heard his name, but never met him and didn't know he owned a salvage yard. John suddenly felt about as shaky as his son sounded.

"I'm sorry these dreams upset you, Sam," John said, trying to be soothing. "Everything here is fine."

"For now," he said sadly. "What is this job, Dad?"

"We're just working on getting rid of something bad, Sammy. It's the same as every other job."

"No, it isn't," Sam disagreed. "You don't send Aidan here or send us to Jim's for every other job. You're being careful, aren't you?"

"Of course I am, son. How is the studying coming along?" John wanted to change the subject and get Sam's mind off of his fear. "You're not spending all your time in the books, are you?"

"Dean made me go out last night."

"Good. What did you do?"

Sam spent the next few minutes telling his father about the evening out. They hadn't done anything too exciting, but it got Sam's nose out of his textbooks for a while. John could hear the tension going out of Sam's voice as he spoke and by the time he was done talking, John knew he was feeling better.

"You going back to bed for a while?"

Sam stifled a yawn. "I think so."

"Good. Is your brother awake?"

"He's right here."

"I'll give you a call later today. And Sammy?"

"Yes, sir?"

"I love you, son."

Sam's voice caught and he looked at his brother. "I love you, too, Dad. Here's Dean."

Dean took the receiver and watched as Sam left the room. "Dad?"

"Is Sammy still there?"

"No, he walked out of the room. I'm sorry if we woke you, but –"

"I was awake. And you know you can call whenever there's a problem."

"I'm supposed to handle things for you when you're gone."

"And you do a good job, but I'm still ultimately in charge. Is your brother all right? How many of these dreams has he had?"

"It's happened a couple of nights. They really freak him out, Dad."

"Yeah, I got that. Take care of him son, and yourself."

"Yes, sir," Dean said uncertainly.

"What is it?"

"Nothing. I just…."

"What, Dean?" John asked gently.

"Sammy's dreams are kind of freaking me out, too. You had him describe the people he saw in the dreams; did you recognize anyone?"

"No," John lied.

"Dad –"

"I've already said that I'm not going to tell you about this job and I haven't changed my mind."

"But I don't understand why –"

"Don't question me, Dean."

"Yes, sir," the boy sighed to himself.

"I'll check in later. You might try to get some more sleep, too."

_TBC_


	3. Chapter 3

**Father Knows Best**

Chapter 3

Disclaimer: See chapter 1.

A/N: Oops, there was a mistake in chapter 2. Sam saw _Aidan_ not Caleb after the nightmare. No plot twist, just an oops that my beta and I both missed. So far you guys seem to like this one, which makes me happy. I never want to disappoint!

oooOOOooo

By failing to prepare you are preparing to fail - _Ben Franklin_

oooOOOooo

Sam had woken up again later Sunday morning; the remainder of his sleep had been without dreams. He wanted to hit the books immediately, but Dean insisted on taking him out to breakfast and some target practice in the woods.

Dean didn't really care what they did; he just didn't want to lose Sam to studying already and hoped he might be able to get him to open up a little more about the dreams. Besides, Dean was scared and he just needed to be close to his brother. It was his job to protect Sam and to make sure he was taken care of, but that didn't mean he couldn't get a little nurturing for himself in the bargain. It didn't matter that Dean didn't realize he wasn't spending time with Sam solely for the younger boy's benefit.

"What's going on, Dean?" Sam asked later as they sat on the ground, their backs resting against the large rocks that had held the bottles they used for target practice.

Dean glanced at him. "What do you mean?"

"This," Sam gestured around them. "Why did you want to come here?"

"To keep you from burying yourself in the books so soon. I don't want you to stress over the exams you have coming up and I thought being outside would help."

"Are you worried about the nightmares?"

"I'm worried about _you_."

Sam looked at him. "Thanks, but I'm okay. You and Aidan are probably right that the dreams are because of the exams."

"You really believe that?"

Sam didn't even try to look convincing. "Sure."

"You sure you don't want to talk about them?"

"I'm sure. I told you what I remember and there's nothing else we can do about them. If what I've seen comes true…."

Dean watched as his brother stood up and walked a few feet away. His shoulders slumped and he hung his head. Things were so much simpler when Sam was little because he was so easily comforted. All it usually took was a bowl of Lucky Charms or a few stupid jokes. Dean sighed to himself and joined his brother, putting an arm around his shoulders.

Sam was four years younger, but already the same height and Dean suspected that it wouldn't be much longer before his little brother was taller than him. It wasn't as easy as it used to be to slip his arm around Sam's shoulders, but that didn't stop Dean from doing it. Sam looked at him with tears in his eyes.

"What if what I dreamed comes true?"

"Tell me what you saw."

Sam shook his head. "I can't, Dean."

"You saw more than them running, didn't you?"

"Dean…." Sam choked back a sob and leaned against his brother.

"Hey," Dean said gently, surprised by Sam's reaction. He knew there had been more to the dreams than Sam let on, but he hadn't expected this. Dean held Sam protectively and led him back to the rocks where they had been sitting, settling next to him.

"Talk to me, Sammy."

Sam rested his head against the rock behind him and closed his eyes. He didn't want to remember what he'd seen, he didn't want to talk about it and he most certainly didn't want it to be some kind of premonition.

"It might make you feel better to talk about it," Dean reasoned.

"Or it might make you more scared than you already are."

"Don't worry about that, just talk to me."

Sam looked thoughtful, then turned to face his brother. "Whatever they're all running from….It catches them. There's a lot of blood; a lot. And….I saw Dad on the ground; it looks like he's hurt pretty bad. It was really graphic and felt so real."

Dean reached out to steady his brother's shaking hands. His brief description of the rest of his dream was vague, but Dean suspected what he had seen was actually much more explicit.

"Sam," Dean began, looking his brother in the eyes. "You've never had a dream come true before and there's no reason to think this one will. You're worried about school, you're worried about Dad and that's a lot to deal with. I know it's a lot to ask for you to just put this out of your mind, but if you keep worrying about the dreams, you're going to give the power and you'll keep having them."

Sam looked at him and nodded. "I'll try."

Dean patted his leg. "Good. Now, how about I get you back and you can do what you really want to be doing?"

Sam smiled and nodded. "Thanks for bringing me out here. It was a good idea."

Dean returned the smile. "Let's go."

oooOOOooo

The preparations at Bobby's were complete on Monday afternoon. The men looking through the documents came to the same conclusions John had and the librarians Jim sent to Alec's home had gotten everything packed up and were on their way back home. John knew Sam would love nothing more than spending entire days pouring over the tomes and he had already told Jim that he had no problem letting Sam see them. Jim already had a pretty extensive library that captured Sam's attention any time he was there and he may not even have time for the new editions.

John was nervous about summoning the demon. There was no choice other than it would work, but that didn't guarantee anything. It was a simple, yet dangerous, plan. Summon it, trap it and send it back to Hell. If it was as powerful as they all suspected, it wouldn't stay vanquished long so he would have to act fast. He didn't expect he would be able to convince his old friend, Daniel Elkins, to turn over the weapon that he knew existed, and he was still working on a plan to get the information he wanted from him.

It was at least a fifteen hour drive to Elkins' home and John intended to leave as soon as the exorcism was over. He would do whatever it took to get what he needed. With the demon gone forever, his children would be safe. Sam would never have to know about its plans for him.

John used to wonder about life after his revenge was complete, but his search had been going on for so many years that he didn't know if he would ever be able to leave the hunt completely. He wanted more for his sons and even though he was proud of Dean's skills, he wanted him to be something other than a hunter. And Sam….he was so smart. John wanted him to go to college and do great things. In the end, John realized it didn't matter what his boys chose to do with their lives. He just wanted them to have a choice.

He'd spoken with Jim a few times since arriving at Bobby's and the pastor didn't try to convince him not to summon the demon. He reluctantly agreed with John that a direct approach was probably the best, though he urged the hunter to be careful. Their only point of disagreement was timing. Jim preferred them to wait until Aidan and the boys were with him, but John felt it was more important to get the job done quickly. He was as worried as Jim about their safety, but was convinced the three of them could handle themselves.

_imtIMTimt_

"John?"

He looked up as Caleb joined him outside. They'd spent most of the day going over their work again and packing up Alec's documents. After a long discussion with Caleb and Bobby, it was decided the others who had come to help should take the data to Jim's for safekeeping. What they had in mind to do wouldn't go any more smoothly with more people around; it might even give the demon a better chance of escape.

"You wanna talk about it?"

"Talk about what?"

"I know there's more bothering you than what we're planning to do tonight."

John smiled thinly; Caleb knew him better than he liked sometimes.

"Yesterday morning," he began and sighed. "The boys called early; Sam had a nightmare that really bothered him."

"It must have if he called."

"He saw you, me and some others running from something." John looked at him. "Through a junk yard. He described Bobby pretty well."

Caleb paled.

"That's one of the reasons I thought about sending the others away; to change things so maybe his dream wouldn't be true."

"What are you more worried about? Something happens that forces us to run or that what we've been afraid of happening has started?"

"What we've been afraid of happening? You mean that Sam is developing abilities?"

Caleb nodded.

"I've been chased before," John said with a sad smile.

The other man couldn't help but laugh, but a moment later they were both serious again.

"I didn't want to be right about Sammy."

"Yeah, I know. Can't say that I blame you."

"I have to find a way to convince Elkins to give up that weapon."

"Have I mentioned that I'm coming with you?"

John looked at him. "What?"

"When you leave for Elkins' after we're done here. Assuming we're not dead, that is."

"You don't have to do that. You being here is already above and beyond –"

"I told you before; you're family."

_imtIMTimt_

"I want to call home before we do this," John said as he sat with Caleb and Bobby.

They'd gone over the plan more times than any of them cared to think about and each knew his part. Concerned for the safety of his friends, and about Sam's dream, John tried to get them to leave and let him handle things alone. Neither one of them would hear of it. They insisted that they were in it together and rationalized there was no way one person could handle everything that needed to be done. Bobby had developed an elaborate trap, but summoning the demon would require the three of them.

"We'll wait for you in the garage," Bobby suggested. "We can make a final check of everything."

John nodded and his friends stood to leave. Caleb put a hand on his shoulder. "Take your time."

After Caleb and Bobby were gone, John sat with his phone cradled in both hands. There were so many thoughts going through his head that he was finding it hard to focus. He was used to thinking several steps ahead, strategizing and considering all the options, but he couldn't get past Sam seemingly developing paranormal abilities. If that indeed happened, it would open up a whole world of possibilities that he didn't want to consider. He had to protect Sam from this fate; he had to find the weapon and use it against the demon. He couldn't die tonight because he had to get to Elkins. There was simply no other choice.

He talked to Jim a little earlier; he reiterated his wish for John to wait, but didn't try to argue with him when he refused.

Finally reigning in his emotions, John dialed the phone. Sam answered and when prompted, talked to his father about the two exams he'd taken that day. It had been a long time since John found anything so interesting and enjoyable to hear. The actual words didn't matter very much, he was just happy to hear the sound of his son's voice and would gladly have talked to him for hours. He felt the same way when Dean got on the phone, but he didn't have the luxury of time and reluctantly ended the call with the boys. Dean told him that Aidan was out getting food and before joining Caleb and Bobby in the garage John made another call.

"Hello?"

"It's me. Where are you?"

"Hey, John. I'm at the burger place near the house. What's up?"

"I need to talk to you for a few minutes."

"I just got back in the car; I'm headed home. Go ahead."

"I want you to keep a closer eye on the boys tonight. Get back as soon as you can and make doubly sure that the doors and windows are salted. Have weapons nearby."

"What's going on?"

"We're going after the bad guy. I just want to make sure things there are handled."

"You're scaring me, John."

"Yeah, well…. I'm sorry Aidan, but I can't tell you what's going on. I just need you to keep an eye out and make sure the boys – and you – stay safe."

"What are you up against, John?"

The older man sighed. "All I can say right now is that it's big. I'm only telling you that much because I want to make sure you understand – I need you to take care of things there. I'm counting on you, Aidan."

"I'll handle it."

"I'm counting on you," John said again. "Do you need more than a half hour to get home?"

"No. I'll be there in ten minutes. Most everything is already salted; I'll check it as soon as I get there."

"Good. Get to Jim's tomorrow as soon as you can."

"Some of Sam's classmates are having a party after the exams are over –"

"Get out of there as soon as the exams are over. No party. I'm sorry, Aidan, but I need you to get the boys to Jim's. Talk to Dean; he'll understand and he'll take care of Sammy."

Aidan was surprised John hadn't told him to take the boys now and forget about the exams. He wanted to ask about that, but decided that after the immediate danger had passed would be soon enough to question John's plans.

"John, whatever the hell you're getting into tonight – just be careful, okay?"

"I'll do my best."

"Any chance you'll call tonight when you're done? I'll keep my cell handy –"

"I'm not going to make any promises, but if not, I'll call in the morning. As soon as we're done here, I have to head off to take care of the next phase."

Aidan sighed. "Call when you can. I'll be waiting."

"Thanks, Aidan. I appreciate what you're doing."

"Whatever that is," Aidan muttered. "Good luck, John."

Aidan was almost back to the Winchesters home when his phone rang again. This time it was Jim and he offered many of the same vague warnings as John had. He told the young man to be vigilant and to keep in touch which did nothing to make him any less nervous.

_imtIMTimt_

John still held onto the phone after he'd ended the conversation with Aidan. He wasn't having second thoughts, exactly, but he was afraid that whatever they did would somehow affect the boys. The demon they were after didn't operate in a vacuum and they weren't entirely certain of its power. For all they knew, it already knew what they were planning and had sent minions to the Winchester home.

Lost in thought, John slipped his cell phone into his coat pocket and started for the back door. The crack of thunder caught his attention and he was immediately on alert. The weather report called for cool temperatures and clear skies for the next several days and thunder was unusual for this time of year anyway. He looked toward the overhead kitchen light when it flickered and saw other lights outside do the same thing.

"Shit," he muttered as he threw open the back door and rushed toward the garage at the end of the property.

It was, indeed, cold outside and the sudden strong wind made it feel even more so. John broke into a run at the next clap of thunder and shielded his eyes as the lights around him exploded. He turned a corner and slid to a stop. The garage where they'd had everything set up was on fire. He didn't see them, but could hear Caleb and Bobby's voices. He couldn't understand what they were saying and called out to them as he started forward again in a near panic run.

He saw Caleb first. He was struggling with a large hose and John immediately stepped in to help. After they had it rolled out, John could see Bobby ready to turn on the water. The sounds around them were amplified and it was impossible to hear one another, even from a short distance. The thunder was near deafening and the lightning bright enough to blind. Luckily, they knew each other well enough that communication wasn't necessary.

Invisible entities attacked from every direction, trying to keep them from dealing with the fire. Caleb kept hold of the hose while Bobby and John fought what they couldn't see. John yelled to Bobby when something suddenly materialized directly behind him, but between the fire and the howl of the wind, his words were drowned out. Bobby flew backward and landed hard against a gutted car. He didn't get up, but before John could get to him, he felt himself being lifted from the ground. He yelled in frustration and grunted when he was tossed harshly to the ground. Before he could stand, he was lifted again and this time tossed in the same direction where Bobby lie unconscious.

John struggled to keep his eyes open and make it to his feet, but he had no choice but to succumb to the darkness. The last thing he saw before he passed out was the hose being ripped from Caleb's hands and his friend thrown toward the burning building. He heard Caleb yell and the unmistakable sound of an explosion. Caleb's name died on his lips as he passed out.

oooOOOooo

It wasn't hard for Aidan to get Dean alone when he got home with their dinner. Sam was in his room, studying for his last two tests and had been since he got home a few hours earlier.

"Check the doors and window sills," Aidan said without preamble. "Make sure the salt is in tact."

Dean jumped up from the couch. "What's going on?"

"Just do it; I'll tell you when we're done. Do your room last and don't let on to Sam until we've talked."

Dean was used to following orders and he knew when to just do as he was told. He and Aidan started on opposite ends of the house and when Dean got to the bedroom, Sam barely looked up from his book.

"Aidan's back with food."

Sam nodded. "Five minutes."

"Okay," Dean said on his way out of the room. He found Aidan in the kitchen. "What's going on?"

Aidan pulled food out of the bags he'd carried in and sat down, strangely calm compared to the way he'd rushed into the house.

"Where's Sam?"

"Finishing up; he'll be out in a couple minutes. Or when I go back and remind him to eat."

"Your dad called me. Whatever they're going up against, they're doing it tonight. He wants us to be more diligent," he looked at Dean. "And he wants us to get to Jim's as soon as we can tomorrow; no party for Sam."

"Hell." Dean sat across from his friend. "Why doesn't he want us to head to Jim's now?"

Aidan shrugged. "I didn't want to ask."

Dean unwrapped his burger, though he was more interested in doing something to keep his hands busy than actually eating. "None of this makes sense. If whatever Dad is hunting might come here…_Why_ would it come here? And if it might, why shouldn't we just get out?"

"Maybe he only _thinks_ it might come here. It, or something related to it. If Sammy doesn't show up for those exams, the school will ask questions and you guys don't need that."

"Maybe."

"You think Sam is going to be upset about the party?"

"Yeah, but not because of the party itself."

"What do you mean?"

"He doesn't know these people that well and he's not into parties. But it will annoy him that he can't participate in something normal because of a hunt."

Aidan nodded. "I'm gonna let you handle that, Slick."

Dean looked at him and smirked. "Thanks. You're a prince."

_imtIMTimt_

As it turned out, Sam really wasn't that upset when Dean told him about having to leave for Jim's as soon as the exams were over the next day. The older boy was surprised, but didn't question his brother's reaction. He was just happy he wouldn't have to deal with any of Sam's attitude while they were trapped in a car together.

Jim called after they'd finished eating and even though Aidan tried, he couldn't get any information out of him other than the same instructions that John had already given. When he joined Dean in the living room after ending the call, Aidan knew his young friend's interest was not on the television program that was playing. He glanced around the room and saw Dean's shotgun well within reach.

"You okay?"

Dean glanced at him. "I didn't tell Sammy what was going on; just that Dad wanted us to leave tomorrow right after school."

Aidan sat down next to Dean. "Are you okay?"

"Everything except what we'll need in the morning is packed and in the car. I'll pick Sammy up from school tomorrow and we'll get on the road –"

Dean glared when Aidan grabbed his arm and pulled away a moment later.

"Slick –"

Dean stood up and began to pace. "No, I'm not okay."

"You want to talk about it?"

"What's to talk about? Huh? My father is out there somewhere fighting something that has freaked him out more than anything I've seen before. My brother is having nightmares that may or may not be premonitions. The thing my father is fighting might come here…. The whole thing is just fucked up."

Aidan watched as Dean continued to pace and rant about their current situation. After a few minutes he calmly stood up and reached out for his arm, forcing him to be still. When Dean started to pull away, Aidan secured him with both hands on his shoulders.

"Listen to me," Aidan said. "All we can do is what we can do. Your dad knows what he's doing and whatever it is he's fighting tonight, you know he's prepared. Sam's nightmares probably are just that. I know it's hard, but if you keep worrying about what you can't change, things will seem that much worse."

Aidan was surprised when Dean met his gaze with tears in his eyes.

"I don't like feeling out of control."

"I know. I don't either," Aidan squeezed his shoulders. "But we're not totally out of control here. We can sit around and worry or we can do something to keep ourselves occupied. We've got salt and we've got weapons; we can keep whatever we have to out of here because _we_ are in control here."

Dean blinked and nodded. "You're right."

Aidan nodded and loosened his grip. "Glad you came around."

"Jackass," Dean muttered through a smile.

_imtIMTimt_

Sam's eyes flew open as he sat up in bed. He successfully stopped the scream in his throat before it escaped. Trying to control his breathing, Sam looked toward his brother's bed and found it empty. The house was completely silent and the bedside clock read 4:15. At 4:20, he went in search of Dean, finding him on the couch.

"Dean?"

He turned his head. "Hey, what are you doing up?"

"I had to use the bathroom," he lied. "What are you doing?"

"I couldn't sleep."

"What's with the shotgun? Where's Aidan?"

"He's in bed."

"And the shotgun?"

"Sammy, just go back to sleep, okay? Everything is fine."

"Fine? You're sitting here in the dark with a shotgun at your side and you want me to believe everything is fine?"

Dean glanced at him. "Yeah, just like you want me to believe you had to go to the bathroom and didn't have a nightmare."

"I –" Sam sighed and sat down next to his brother. "Yeah."

"You want to tell me about it?"

"It was pretty much the same as before, except this time I saw a fire."

Dean looked at him sharply. They both knew the story of how their mother was pinned to the ceiling above Sam's crib and burst into flames.

"Some building is on fire and it explodes. It might be in the same junk yard I saw Dad and Caleb running through." Sam rested his head on the back of the couch. "Your turn."

"Dad wanted us to be extra diligent tonight."

"And Aidan's really asleep?"

"No," Dean sighed. "He's checking around outside."

Sam was used to things happening without his knowledge because Dean and their father tried to keep the worst of the hunt from him. He sometimes wondered what things they'd gone through that he knew nothing about. He could talk to Dean about everything and there was almost nothing his brother didn't know about him, but the reverse wasn't true. Sam knew that Dean trusted him, but he also knew that he felt a responsibility to protect him. He didn't quite understand it, but that was the way it had always been.

"What did Dad think was going to happen?"

"I don't know exactly. He thought, for some reason, what they're handling there might do something here."

"Sounds like this hunt is personal."

"Yeah, that's what I thought, too," Dean rubbed his face. "Any chance you're going to go back to sleep?"

"When do you plan on sleeping?"

"I don't know; I'll grab a couple hours while you're in school."

"Dean –"

"Sam, please, come on. Everything is fine; just go back to bed," Dean looked at him. "Please?"

Sam looked at him uncertainly. "I'm not sure I want to sleep again."

"The dream?"

Sam nodded.

"If you stay awake, you'll be exhausted by the time your first test starts."

"I don't care about the tests anymore. We should just go to Jim's now."

"You don't mean that."

Sam wanted to disagree, but he really did care about his grades and he wanted to take the tests.

Dean slapped his brother's leg and stood up. "Come on, kiddo, let's get you back to bed."

"I don't need you to tuck me in," Sam said as he stood up.

"I know." Dean put his arm around Sam's shoulders as they went to the back of the house.

Dean sat down on the edge of Sam's bed after he'd gotten settled under the blankets.

"You know I'll always take care of things, right?"

Sam nodded. "I know you will."

Dean smiled at him. "Good. Go back to sleep; everything is okay."

Sam watched as he left the room. He knew things weren't okay, but he also knew that Dean wanted him not to worry. Despite the images from the dream still being fresh in his mind, Sam fell asleep quickly.

_TBC_


	4. Chapter 4

**Father Knows Best**

Chapter 4

Disclaimer: See chapter 1.

A/N: There's probably only one more chapter after this one, but I'm still tweaking so it's possible there might be two. It seems to take forever to write these stories, but posting them only takes a minute….

I appreciate the reviews so far, and thanks to all who have read and not left a comment.

oooOOOooo

_Don't hold your parents up to contempt. After all, you are their son, and it is just possible that you may take after them – Evelyn Waugh_

oooOOOooo

When John realized that his eyes were open, he wondered how long he'd been awake. He decided he must still be on the ground where he fell because directly above him he could see faint stars. The sky wasn't completely dark, so he assumed it was near dawn. The air was calm and the only noise he could hear was coming from crickets in the distance.

He tried to sit up, but the pain was too intense and seemed to be coming from everywhere. He waited a moment and tried again; this time struggling to a sitting position with his back against what he figured was an old car. He could see Bobby, still unconscious on the ground, but he couldn't force his body to move toward him.

He vaguely remembered the fight and the fire, but realized he couldn't smell smoke. He looked in the direction of the old garage, but there was nothing but darkness around him. He couldn't see anything; not even the barest hint of an outline. Even the car he was leaning against had no form when he managed to turn his head to look at it.

John raised his hands to his face, every joint crying out in pain. He'd been hit hard before, but he'd never felt like this. It was as if he was cemented to the spot where he sat. There had also been head injuries before, but his eyes had never reacted this way. Other than the stars above him, he could see nothing but blackness.

"Hello, John."

As the hunter turned his head in the direction of the voice, he saw someone dressed all in black emerge from the darkness. It was almost as if he was stepping from behind a curtain.

"Who are you?" John asked, his instincts telling him that this was not an ally.

"Oh come now; we're old friends. I was with you the night your wife died."

John's eyes widened. "You!"

"Did you really think your plan to bring me here and trap me would work? Don't you have any idea what you're dealing with?"

John only glared.

"I could kill you right now, you know. Kill you and leave your body to rot with your friends and just scamper over to your house to take your boys."

John tried to move, but was now being held firmly in place. The more he strained, the more his body protested.

"Though it isn't both of them I want…." The demon began to pace. "And honestly, right at the moment, I don't need either of them."

It turned again to John when he roared in frustration, a satisfied smile playing on its face. The mere mention of his children was enough to send the father into a panic, but that reaction wouldn't do any of them any good. He desperately wanted to figure a way out, but he couldn't see any escape from his predicament. The demon was in total control of the situation and it could make good on its promise and leave him, dead or alive, then go after the boys.

The demon crouched in front of John. "I'm going to do you a favor because I have a lot on my plate; busy, busy, busy! I'm going to let you go. I'm not ready for….I'm not ready for your son."

John glared at the monster in front of him.

"But John," the thing smiled. "This isn't over. I've been making plans for a long time now and I'm not going to let you get in the way."

There was nothing he could have done, but before John even had a chance to react, he was pummeled by a vicious wind that forced him to close his eyes. The next time they opened, he was lying in a hospital bed. His entire body hurt and he wasn't sure if the conversation had been a dream, but he knew it had been real.

"John?"

He recognized the voice and painfully turned his head.

"Joshua," John said, his voice sounding as weak as he felt. "What –"

Joshua Sculls was another of John's long-time contacts. He was reliable on a hunt, but tended to be more of a loner than even John was. He could be counted on and both boys knew how to get in touch with him in an emergency. Some of his methods were unorthodox, even by John's standards, but he got the job done. His part in the current job was researching the weapon and working on a way to get to Elkins.

Joshua moved closer to the bed. "You're in the hospital. Caleb and Bobby are here, too. Bobby is being released tomorrow, but you and Caleb are here for a while. He's got some pretty serious burns, but the doctor says he'll make it."

"How long have we been here? What day is it?"

"It's Tuesday night. You've been here just over 24 hours."

"The boys –"

"Are fine. Jim is in contact with them; they should be at his place in a couple of hours."

"Do they know about this?"

"No."

John could feel himself fading quickly and knew he'd been asleep soon. "How did you get here?"

"Bobby called me when he woke up. I barely figured out what he was saying and he passed out again while he was on the phone. You had all been admitted before I made it here, but I've handled everything. And it was pretty easy to convince the fire investigator that something flammable in the garage blew up, so there won't be any problems there. As for the boys and Aidan, Jim is going to tell them you were hurt –"

"No, they don't need to know. They're already expecting me to be gone a couple of weeks and by that time –"

"By that time you won't look quite like shit, but you'll still look bad. You're going to be here for several days…." Joshua stopped talking when he realized John had fallen asleep. He couldn't help but smile because it wasn't usual to get the last word with him.

oooOOOooo

Sam had fallen back to sleep after the nightmare and his conversation with Dean and when the alarm woke him later, he realized there had been no more dreams. He was somewhat foggy, but felt better after a shower. Dean sat at the kitchen table with him as he ate a bowl of cereal and they chatted about nothing in particular. The older brother planned to get some sleep once Sam left for school. Aidan headed off to bed after greeting the youngest Winchester on his way to the shower earlier.

"Do you want a ride?" Dean asked as Sam put his bowl into the sink.

"No, thanks. I have time to walk and the fresh air will help clear my head."

"I'll be there at 2:30 to pick you up and we'll get on the road. Call me if you get done earlier."

Sam nodded. "Do you want help getting the last of the stuff in the car?"

"I'll handle it, thanks. There isn't much."

Sam nodded again and looked around the room. He didn't have any sentimental feelings about this house; it was just another in a long line of random places he'd lived with is father and brother. He had more fond memories of the Impala than any of the houses or apartments they'd lived in, but still it felt curiously odd to realize he'd never see this place again.

"Sam?"

The younger man glanced at his brother and saw the curious expression on his face.

"You okay, man?"

"Yeah," Sam took a deep breath, wondering how long he'd been lost in thought. "I guess I should go."

"What is it?" Dean asked, still staring at him.

"Nothing. I guess it just hit me that we're leaving here today."

"So?"

"I don't know. It just felt weird for a minute. I'll see you this afternoon."

"Good luck on your tests; not that you need luck."

Sam grinned. "Thanks."

Dean watched as his brother walked down the driveway and couldn't help but wonder about his moment of sentimentality. They were torn from the house Dean barely remembered when Sam was six months old and since then, they'd lived in one rented place after another. None of them had really been a home; more like a place to stay until they moved on and Sam had never seemed sad to move on before.

He sat on the edge of his bed and checked the alarm clock and his cell phone before settling back on the pillow. Dean knew that he and Sam consciously hadn't brought up the subject of their father, but both of them were worried. He hadn't really expected a phone call already, but he didn't quite manage not to hope for one.

Sleep came slowly for Dean, but eventually it did and he didn't wake until the alarm went off when it was time to get ready to pick up Sam. He was disappointed not to have been awakened by the telephone and he checked his voice mail, but there were no messages. He knew it would do no good to call his father or Caleb so, disappointed, he showered and finished packing the few items that needed to be taken from the house.

He and Aidan stopped for coffee before going to the school. They sat in a corner booth at the diner, not speaking and lost in their own thoughts. They did more staring at the coffee than drinking it and food wasn't even an option. When Aidan's phone rang, they both visibly jumped.

"Hello?" Aidan answered it as he looked at Dean.

"It's Jim; how are you?"

"Hi Jim. We're good; about to pick Sammy up and head out. What's going on? We haven't heard from John or Caleb."

He detected a slight pause in Jim's answer. "Neither have I, but that isn't very unusual, is it? What time do you think you'll be here?"

"Probably before midnight."

"All right. Just be careful and keep in touch."

"Sure, Jim," he said uncertainly. He had the feeling that there was more to Jim's phone call that simple curiosity, but he knew that asking questions would result only in frustration.

Dean looked at him curiously and Aidan only shrugged.

Sighing, Dean slid out of the booth. "Let's get going."

_imtIMTimt_

Sam was sitting on the school steps with someone Dean recognized when he parked at the curb. He waited as they said their goodbyes, then Sam opened the door to toss his backpack into the back seat before settling next to his brother.

"Where's Aidan?"

"He went on ahead. We'll meet up later. How did it go?"

"Good, I think."

"I'm sure your grades will be better than good. Who were you talking to?" Dean asked as he pulled into traffic.

"Just one of the guys I've been studying with. We got finished with our tests about the same time."

"How long have you been done?"

"Just a few minutes. He's going to the party later."

"I'm sorry about the party, Sammy."

The younger boy shrugged. "It's okay. Did Dad call?"

Dean's heart broke at the optimistic tone to his brother's voice. "No."

"You think he's okay?"

"Sure," Dean stole a glance at Sam. "He's always okay."

Sam hunched down in the seat. "I'll be glad when this is all over and Dad comes back."

"Yeah, me, too," Dean agreed, but forced himself to brighten. "But we'll be at Pastor Jim's tonight and we always have a good time with him."

"I know."

Dean glanced at him again. Sam was curled into as small a ball as he could manage with his long legs and leaning against the door. Dean resisted the urge to reach out and touch him, though if pressed he wouldn't have been able to explain why.

"Are you hungry? Aidan will be waiting for us at a diner in Newberry, but we can go by a drive-through if –"

"No, I'm fine. You got everything out of the house?"

"Yeah."

He saw Sam nod. "Then let's go."

"Sam –"

"Let's go, Dean. Please."

Dean looked at him again and nodded. "Okay."

oooOOOOoo

The next time John opened his eyes, he saw Bobby in a chair next to his bed.

"Hey, John," he smiled and leaned forward.

"Do I look as bad as you?"

"Worse."

John nodded painfully. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm mobile; only here for observation until tomorrow. I guess technically I'm AWOL since I'm not in my room though. You, on the other hand…."

"Yeah, Joshua told me I had surgery. Why?"

"Internal bleeding. But you're patched up and you're gonna be okay. The doc said you'd be here at least a couple of days, though."

"So I heard. What time is it?"

"Almost midnight."

"Any idea if the boys have made it to Jim's?"

"Joshua went for coffee and to give him a call."

"Thanks for bringing Joshua here."

"I knew he was close by and we'd need help."

"How is Caleb?"

Bobby's face darkened. "The doc says he'll be okay."

"Is he conscious?"

"Yeah, he is. He'll be okay, but he's got some pretty bad burns. They were afraid of a spinal injury, but he was lucky."

"Jesus, Bobby..." John closed his eyes.

"How are you feeling?" he asked after a moment.

"All right, I guess. Bobby, something happened –"

"No kidding. We were beat to Hell."

"Yeah, but something else. I talked to the demon."

Bobby's eyes widened and his skin paled. "What?"

John recounted what he remembered of the conversation and when he was done, Bobby leaned back in his chair and let out a long breath. "Holy shit."

"Bobby," John paused. "I need you to promise me something."

"What?"

"If something happens to me, if the demon gets to me," he paused and looked at his friend. "The boys are going to need someone to turn to. I know you don't know them, but –"

"That demon doesn't know what he's up against," Bobby laughed nervously. "We're gonna get that sonofabitch…."

"Yeah, I know we are. But if we don't…."

"The boys will be taken care of. I'll make sure of it."

John closed his eyes, already exhausted. "Thank you."

He managed to look toward the door when it opened a moment later and Joshua walked in.

"You get in touch with Jim?" Bobby asked as John struggled to stay awake.

"Yeah. The boys and Aidan are about half an hour out; he just talked to them."

"I don't want them to know I'm in the hospital," John said, his voice barely above a whisper.

"How about you just let Jim handle this?"

John didn't have the strength to argue.

oooOOOooo

The drive to Jim's was uneventful, but the longer they went without a call from John, the more the brothers worried. The last two hundred miles were traveled in silence except for the classic rock music coming from the radio, but even that was at an unusually low volume.

Dean pulled the Impala up behind Aidan's car; he only beat them by a few minutes, but was already inside. Jim stepped out onto the porch as Sam and Dean pulled their duffle bags from the trunk. He greeted them with a warm smile and a hug, then followed them back inside. They dropped their things in the living room and continued to the kitchen where Aidan was already hunched over a bottle of beer.

They'd spent a lot of time here as children and it felt like home. Jim treated them as he would his own children and they thought of him as family. The house wasn't large, but it was comfortable and always felt safe.

"Are you hungry or thirsty? There are some sandwiches made and soda in the refrigerator. Have a seat and –"

"You don't have to wait on us," Dean smiled. "Bring me a beer, Sammy."

"Sit down, Sam," Jim said, patting him on the arm. "I'll get your brother a soda."

Sam grinned as he sat in the closest chair. Jim put drinks on the table, next to the plate of sandwiches he'd already laid out.

"Have you heard from Dad?" Sam asked, saving Dean the trouble.

Jim looked from one brother to the other. "Not exactly."

"What does that mean?" Dean asked.

"He doesn't want you to worry, but he's in a hospital."

The brothers exchanged a look and Aidan's head shot up.

"Where? What happened?"

Sam's voice was panicked and Dean immediately what he was thinking; that his nightmare had come true.

"He's going to be fine; he just needs a few days of rest," Jim said quickly.

"I want to see him; talk to him. Where is he?" Sam demanded.

"It's late, Sam. You can't talk to him tonight, but tomorrow –"

"How did he get hurt?" He sounded nearly hysterical and didn't move his hands from the table fast enough for Dean to miss that they were shaking. He was feeling the same way, but he had to stay calm for his brother's sake.

"He just got tossed around a bit –"

"What about Caleb?" Sam interrupted.

Dean stood up and walked around the table to stand behind his brother. He put a hand on his shoulder and looked at Jim. "Just tell us what happened."

"I don't know all of the details, but I do know that everyone is going to be all right. Your dad and Caleb will be in the hospital for a few days, but –"

"Was there a fire?" Sam asked quietly. Dean tightened his grip on his shoulder and whispered his name.

Jim looked at the youngest Winchester curiously, but before he could say anything, Aidan spoke. "Sam, your dream wasn't a premonition."

"Dream?"

"Sammy's been having nightmares," Dean said calmly, his hand still on his brother's shoulder. "He dreamed he saw Dad and Caleb running from a fire."

"Like I said, I don't know all the details," Jim said.

Sam pulled away from his brother and headed out the back door, into the darkness of the small back yard. Dean went after him without hesitating and caught up to him just before he got to the gate.

"Hey, hold up!" Dean grabbed his arm, but Sam pulled away.

"He's lying! There was a fire; I know it!"

"Pastor Jim doesn't lie, Sammy."

"I saw his face –"

"Okay, maybe there was, but Sam –"

"That means my nightmare was a premonition!"

"Calm down, Sammy. Let's talk about this –"

"What's to talk about? That I'm even more of a freak than before?"

Dean looked at him, surprised. "What?"

"I'm a freak, Dean. A freak who has premonitions and –"

"You're not a freak! Why would you say that?"

"Because of the way we live, Dean. Come on, man, you know it's not normal –"

"It's normal for _us_. Besides, Aidan can do things most people can't; does that make him a freak?"

Sam turned away. "I want to see Dad; I want to talk to him."

Dean sighed. "Yeah, me, too. But it's after midnight. We can talk to him in a few hours."

Sam sighed and hung his head. Dean stood next to him and put his hand on his shoulder. "It's going to be okay, Sammy. Dad's gonna be fine and it sounds like this job is over so….And we'll figure it all out. I promise."

"I'm scared, Dean."

"Hey, as long as I'm around, you don't have anything to be scared of. I'll always take care of you."

Sam looked at him with undisguised hope in his eyes. Dean playfully hit his arm. "I'm going to have one of Jim's sandwiches and then get some sleep. You should eat something, too."

"I'm not hungry."

"Bed?"

Sam nodded. "In a minute."

Dean looked at him uncertainly then nodded. "All right."

_imtIMTimt_

"Aren't you going to bed?" Jim asked Aidan later.

"Soon. Jim, about Sam…."

"I know John has told you about his suspicions," Jim said. "I don't know if this proves them, or not."

"What was this job? Why didn't anyone want me to be a part of it?"

"Aidan…." Jim sighed and turned away from the younger man. He busied himself by putting the food away and tidying the kitchen.

"Jim, what is it?"

Even though Aidan grew up in the orphanage, he spent a lot of time with Jim and felt closer to him than if he had been his biological father. He moved across the room and stood next to the pastor.

"Jim, please. What's going on?"

"I suppose thinking I'd never have to tell you about this job was silly."

"What is it about this job?"

Jim glanced at him, then turned around and leaned against the counter. "John went up against the demon that killed his wife."

Aidan paled. "What?"

"I was afraid it was somehow tied to what happened to you and I didn't want you involved. It was my decision, not John's. He would have had you at his side if I'd hadn't told him I wanted you with me."

"Why would it be tied to me?"

"We don't know anything about that demon; not really," Jim looked at him. "I know what you already do is dangerous and that you know how to take care of yourself, but with so many unanswered questions, I guess I was just afraid."

Aidan looked at him kindly. "So, that's why he wouldn't tell the boys….And why he was acting so weird."

Jim nodded.

"Did he exorcise it?"

Jim got two beers from the refrigerator and led Aidan back to the table, where he told him everything he'd learned from Joshua. He'd wanted to spare Aidan, and even though he had hoped this job would somehow stay secret, he knew that was unrealistic. John might be able to keep his sons in the dark, but despite John's influence in his life, Aidan had not been raised with the same single-minded obedience that the Winchester boys had been. Besides, Aidan was nearly thirty years old. Jim's purpose of keeping him out of the job had been served; there was no real reason not to give him the details now.

"Is everyone really going to be all right?" Aidan asked, unable to process everything he'd just heard so quickly.

"That's what Joshua said."

"The boys are going to want to see their father."

"That's not going to happen until John is out of the hospital. Joshua said that John will call tomorrow, but he doesn't want them to come to the hospital."

"This is going to be easy."

"Dean won't go against his father's wishes and he'll keep Sam in line," Jim seemed to read Aidan's mind. "And no matter what we think of John's decision, we have to abide by it."

"I suppose," Aidan took a long drag from the beer. "I'm too tired to think about any of this tonight. I'm going to turn in. You need any help before I do?"

"Everything is under control."

Jim had spent years demon-proofing his house; Aidan didn't even know everything he had in place, but he knew that the house was safe. He paused outside of the room where the brothers were staying and watched them sleeping for a moment before continuing on to his own room.

He didn't bother undressing or turning down the covers on the bed before lying down. He was exhausted from not getting much sleep the night before and the long road trip. He was also worried about his friends. He knew there were questions he should have asked, but he'd been given too much information in too short a time and his defenses were already down.

Despite everything that was going through his mind, he fell asleep quickly and wasn't surprised to find it was after 10:00 in the morning when his eyes opened again. He checked on the boys on his way to the bathroom and found they were still asleep. Jim's bedroom door was closed, but Aidan knew he would be at the church or doing some church-related activity. Jim was devoted to the hunt and went out of his way to help the hunters who needed him, but his congregation was also very important to him.

After a shower and dressing in clean clothes, Aidan went to the kitchen. He put on a pot of coffee and found a note from Jim saying he would be home around noon. He was sitting at the table outside when Sam joined him a few minutes later.

"Hey, kid."

"Hey," Sam slumped in the chair across from him.

"Did you sleep okay?"

"Yeah, I guess."

"Your brother still in bed?"

Sam nodded.

Aidan watched him, but decided not to push him to talk. A few minutes later, Sam looked at him.

"Do you feel like a freak?"

"Excuse me?"

"Because of what you can do, what you can see?"

Aidan suddenly understood. "No. I guess maybe I used to; when I first found out I could see things other people couldn't. But then I realized that what I could do was special and helpful."

Sam said nothing.

"We still don't know that your dreams were accurate," Aidan lied. "But even if they were, it could be a one-time thing. And if not, then you'll learn to use them like I learned to use what I can do."

Sam nodded, noncommittally. Aidan was about to say something else, but was interrupted by the telephone. He considered letting the machine answer it, but in the end, he walked across the room and grabbed the receiver. He listened to the caller for a moment and then nodded to Sam.

"Go get your brother. It's your dad on the phone."

Sam ran to the bedroom and returned a moment later with a bleary-eyed Dean. John spoke with each of his sons individually, but the call didn't last long enough for either of them. They both begged to come to his side, but John refused to hear it, instead, insisting that they stay with Jim. It wasn't hard to convince Dean, and everyone knew Sam would do what his brother asked of him.

The younger boy spent the next several hours pouting angrily in the bedroom, and Dean let him have the time. He knew better than anyone that Sam was not easy to talk to when he was in that mood. Besides, he had no idea what to say to him. He was as scared as Sam was that his dreams were the beginning of some kind of psychic ability and Dean didn't know if that would be a good thing, or not. Though he didn't know it, he shared his father's concerns that his little brother was somehow connected to the thing that took their mother. They'd never spoken of it and Dean had never wanted to bring it up to him before. Now, though, he was beginning to think he had no choice. If he was to protect Sam, he had to understand more about what happened in that nursery.

He also shared Sam's anger about not knowing what this job had been about. Jim knew and he assumed that it had now been shared with Aidan. His friend was acting different and Dean couldn't miss the faraway look in his eyes. He knew what that look meant; he was processing something. Dean knew that Jim wouldn't betray their father's trust. He didn't agree with the secrecy John insisted upon, but Jim would never go against his wishes. He'd tried to get Aidan to talk to him, but to no avail.

So Dean sat alone in the back yard, feeling useless and afraid. He desperately wanted to be with his father; to see for himself that he was going to be all right. The phone call earlier had helped, but he'd never heard his father sound so tired and weak before. Dean wished it had been a long time since he'd felt this afraid, but the truth was, he almost always felt this way. The only times he ever felt completely safe was when his family was together under Jim's roof.

"You've been out here quite a while," Jim said as he sat down next to Dean. "I was thinking we'd barbeque for dinner. I haven't fired up that grill in a long time."

Dean said nothing.

"Your dad used to bring you and your brother here for July 4th every year and we'd barbeque at the orphanage for the kids there. Sammy always liked playing with the other kids, but you preferred to sit by yourself and watch," Jim glanced at him. "Or you'd be your dad's shadow. If you weren't checking on Sammy, you'd be where ever your father was."

"I know what you're trying to do."

"You do?"

"You're trying to get my mind off of things."

"Not at all. I want you to think about how you feel right now. I want you to process it and get past whatever has you so upset. I was just trying to make you feel more comfortable because I want you to talk about what's going on in your head. I want to help you, Dean."

"How can you help?" Dean asked, smiling at him sadly. "How can anyone help?"

"I can listen. Maybe together we can figure some things out."

"You know what my dad was hunting, don't you?"

Jim nodded. "I do."

"And you're not going to tell me, are you?"

"No, I'm not. You know what would happen if I went against your father's wishes. He'd never allow you to come back here and he'd walk away from the little bit of help and protection I can provide."

"I'm not a kid anymore."

"No, you're not. But you're _his _kid and you will be no matter how old you get. He does what he does because he thinks it's the only way. And who knows, maybe he's right. I haven't seen what your dad has; I haven't felt what he has. And as much as I love you and your brother, you aren't my children and I don't know how it would feel for him if something happened to you."

Dean stared straight ahead silently.

"You want to tell me what's on your mind? I know you're worried about your father, but I also know that his behavior on this job isn't so much out of the ordinary."

Dean looked at Jim, a little irritated that his friend knew him so well.

"I'm afraid that Sam's nightmares were premonitions."

Jim looked thoughtful. "What if they were? And what if Sam does have psychic abilities? What does that mean?"

"Sam thinks it makes him a freak."

"What do you think?"

"Sammy's no freak."

"So what does it mean?" Jim asked again. "If Sam is psychic?"

The muscles in Dean's jaw tightened, but he said nothing.

"Dean?"

"Maybe he's tied to whatever it was that took our mom."

Jim started to say something, but remained quiet while he thought about what Dean had said. A moment later he leaned forward. "Would that make him any less your brother?"

"Of course not!"

"Do you think it will change him somehow?"

"I don't know," Dean looked at him. "What if it does?"

"Do you think your brother loves you and your father?"

Dean nodded.

"And do you think that he'd do anything to hurt either of you?"

"No, but if Dad suspects the same thing, that he's somehow connected to Mom's death, it would explain a whole lot." Dean looked at Jim. "You've already had this conversation with Dad, haven't you?"

"What conversation?"

"That Sammy might have a connection to Mom…."

"Your dad has lots of ideas, Dean."

"Was this job related to that?"

"Dean –"

He looked away, knowing Jim wouldn't answer the question. "Never mind."

"Look, Dean. We don't know anything for sure about your brother's dreams. We don't know if they were premonitions or not, but if they were, he'll still be your brother. But he'll probably be scared and he'll need you."

"He always has me," Dean said quietly.

"I know he does, Dean."

"So, about that barbeque…." the teenager smiled, wanting to change the subject.

Jim smiled at him.

_TBC_


	5. Chapter 5

**Father Knows Best**

Chapter 5

Disclaimer: See chapter 1.

A/N: Tweak, tweak, tweak. There will be one more chapter after this one, but it's a wrap-up. This is the last meaty section and you might think it ends strangely, but it felt right. As always, I appreciate your comments.

oooOOOooo

_To the extent that you entertain lies and deceit, you are held prisoner in a world cut off from reality. The truth you hide from yourself, prevents you from growth and fulfillment. __The truth you hide from others, keeps you distantly apart. The truth shines a bright light on life, so you can clearly see the way to go. Success, achievement, happiness, joy, fellowship, and fulfillment, thrive in the warm and nurturing light of the truth. Honesty is the most direct path to wherever you want to go. Truth and honesty are often difficult, yet never more difficult, in the end, than deceit. To think otherwise, is to deceive even yourself. Hiding in the shadows of falsehood, makes it impossible to move forward. .That the truth is moral and ethical, is no secret. Yet truth is also practical, efficient, and effective in every worthy pursuit, something well known by those who enjoy lasting success. Live in the bright, empowering light. Embrace the truth. It always serves you best. - Ralph Marston_

oooOOOooo

John's doctor wanted to keep him for at least another day, but he insisted on signing himself out on Thursday afternoon. He was worried about his sons and he wanted to spend some time with them before going off to find Daniel Elkins. He also didn't like staying in one place for too long. He wished that Caleb could come with him, but he was still in too much pain to travel. The burns weren't bad enough to require skin grafts, but infection was still a real possibility, so John had to accept that Caleb needed to stay.

"You're not driving," Bobby told him. "You're not strong enough."

"I'm fine."

They were on either side of Caleb's bed and he looked from one to the other.

"If you were fine, you wouldn't have had to sign yourself out."

"I want you to stay here with Caleb."

"Yeah, well, I don't want you to spend nine hours behind the wheel of a car."

"Caleb needs you here."

"Caleb has a hospital full of people here to take care of him."

"I'm right here," Caleb said. "And you two can stop arguing over me. Literally."

John and Bobby looked at him, then looked at each other.

"I'll take Joshua with me," John said quietly.

"Deal. But he has to drive."

John glared at him. "All right."

Caleb sighed and closed his eyes. "Thank goodness. Now can you guys leave so I can get some sleep?"

John put a gentle hand on his leg. "You take care of yourself, kid. I'll keep in touch."

"Be careful, John. Don't go see Elkins until you're fully recovered."

John said nothing.

Bobby sighed and Caleb rolled his eyes. They both knew that John would do whatever he wanted when he wanted to do it. Nothing either of them said would change his mind or even give him reason to think about changing his plans. Jim was the only one who ever had half a chance of talking him out of doing something stupid and most of the time, he refused to cross the hunter. It wasn't that Jim was afraid of John, but he knew more good would come from keeping him close than from alienating him.

It was nearly 4:30 in the morning when John and Joshua arrived at Jim's house. The porch light was on and, even though the curtains were closed, Joshua could see the lights were on in the living room. John had tried to stay awake, but his muscles started protesting being in the car for so long and he was forced to take the pain medication prescribed by the doctor. He fell asleep nearly four hours before and Joshua was glad for the time alone.

"John?" he shook his friend's shoulder. "We're here."

John's eyes opened slowly and he rubbed his face. "What time is it?"

"Just after 4:30. You want me to take a run around the block so you can wake up?"

"No, thanks. I'm good." He sat up and looked toward the house. "You gonna stay?"

"I'm too tired not to."

John looked at him. "Thanks, Josh."

"Anytime, man," he nodded toward the house. "Looks like one of the rug rats heard the car."

Sam stood on the porch and looked toward the car and before John even opened the door, Dean appeared behind his brother's shoulder. The father took a moment to look at them and felt a swell of emotion. As they came toward the car, John opened the door and got out. He was much less steady on his feet than he'd hoped for, but was able to take a few tentative steps forward before his sons reached him. He hugged them, partly to keep from falling and partly because he couldn't believe he'd lived through an encounter with the demon that killed his wife. Everything that had happened in the last few days, including losing a good friend, rushed back to him.

The brothers exchanged a look before John put an arm around each of their shoulders and headed for the house.

"Why are you awake at this hour?" he asked.

"We were waiting for you," Dean said.

"You should be asleep."

"And it looks like you should still be in the hospital," Sam said as they sat down on the couch. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine, just a little sore."

Joshua walked in a moment later with their bags as Jim came from his bedroom.

"I thought I heard voices." He looked at John. "It's good to see you, my friend."

"I hear ya," John smiled stiffly.

"Joshua," Jim extended his hand. "You look well."

"So do you. I, uh…." He looked around uncomfortably.

"Come on; let's find a place for your bags and I'll make some coffee," Jim offered.

"Thanks."

Left alone with his sons, John wasn't sure to say. He could feel the concern coming from them and he wished he could put them at ease. He understood their anxiety; even in their lives, it wasn't every day that they almost lose him. Even Dean was having trouble acting as if nothing was wrong and he was usually very good at not letting his feelings show.

After a cup of coffee and some intentionally innocent conversation, the group went to bed. With sleeping space at a premium, the Winchesters shared a room and Dean insisted that he'd sleep on the floor. Despite another dose of the pain medication, John had trouble falling asleep and watched his sons until he finally dozed off just after the sun started to rise.

_imtIMTimt_

The next few days went by quickly. John continued to recover as he spent time with Aidan and with his boys. No one wanted to bring up anything related to hunting. Even Sam, who was still afraid of the nightmares despite not having any for days, didn't want to upset anyone by asking about them. No one asked about the job, but John knew that Jim had confided in Aidan. There were frequent calls to and from Caleb and he checked himself out of the hospital the following week.

John stood just inside the library doorway watching Sam as he intently looked through a book that possibly weighed more than he did. It was one of the new volumes delivered by the librarians Jim had sent to Alec Saunders' house while John and the others were still there. Most of the books had been taken to the church where the large basement could house them more easily, but Jim had wanted this book in the house.

Even though Sam hadn't mentioned his nightmares or his fears about what they might mean, John knew they were still on his mind.

"Hey, Sammy."

The boy looked at his father, surprised, then went back to the book.

"You okay, son?"

He nodded.

"Jim told me your grades arrived in the mail. You did a great job, son."

A ghost of a smile appeared on Sam's face. "Thanks."

"Can we talk about your dreams for a second?"

The smile faded and Sam turned away.

"Sam –"

"I've tried not to think about it, but…." Sam closed the book. "And Dean told me not to bring it up because you had enough on your mind, but…."

John walked further into the room and put a hand on Sam's shoulder. "The dreams?"

"Yes, sir."

John led him to the old leather couch that was situated in a corner of the room. "Talk to me about them."

"You already know everything," Sam looked at him. "Was there a fire, Dad?"

John knew the question would come eventually and even after thinking about how to answer it for days, he still didn't know. But he knew that Caleb was only a few hours away and that as soon as the boys saw him, they would know he had been injured in a fire. He sighed. "What if I tell you there was?"

Tears sprang into Sam's eyes. "Then that would mean the dreams weren't dreams."

"You think that means they were premonitions?"

Sam blinked and nodded slowly.

"And what scares you about that?"

"I don't want to be any more different than I already am, Dad."

"Even if you could help people with what you might be able to do?"

Sam said nothing and John put a protective arm around him. "Nothing's gonna hurt you, Sammy. I promise you that. You've got me and your brother lookin' out for you. You've got Aidan and Caleb, Jim…. Even people you don't know. We're all lookin' out for you, son."

"Why?"

John looked at him, confused. "What do you mean?"

"Why is everyone looking out for me? It's not because we have each other's back, is it? There's something more."

"Sam –"

"You think that think that killed mom is connected to me, don't you?" Sam demanded, sounding much younger than his fifteen years.

"Listen to me," John said sternly, holding Sam's shoulders in a firm grip. "You are not tied to what killed your mother. You were just a baby, all right? You didn't do anything. The thing that killed your mom is responsible; not you. Everyone is looking out for you because we're all friends and despite what you might think, you're still just a kid. We all have more experience than you do, and that includes your brother. Do you understand me, Sam?"

The boy nodded, tears still threatening to overcome him. John looked into his eyes for a moment and then pulled him into a loving hug. Sam grabbed his father's shirt in his fists and held on as if John would disappear if he let go.

"You're going to leave soon, aren't you?" Sam whispered.

"I have to, Sammy. I have something to do."

Sam hugged him tighter.

Dean stood in the doorway, watching them. He was glad his brother was getting comfort from their father, but a part of him yearned for the same thing. Tears welling in his eyes, he backed away and left them alone.

Aidan glanced at Dean as he came through the kitchen. There was something about the way he walked that didn't seem right to the older man and he followed him into the back yard.

"Dean?"

His shoulders slumped when he realized that he wasn't alone, but when he turned to face Aidan, he looked as if nothing was wrong.

"You okay?" Aidan asked, recognizing the mask that Dean often wore.

"Sure, why wouldn't I be?" Dean glanced away for a moment.

"I saw you a second ago when you walked through the kitchen –"

"It's nothing, okay?"

Aidan nodded. "Sure. Hey, I'm getting a little bit of cabin fever here. You want to go out tonight, just you and me, and shoot some pool or something?"

Dean looked toward the house and then back to his friend. "Yeah, let's do that."

oooOOOooo

Dean's mind wasn't on the game and he was much too volatile to be in a bar, especially since he was underage. Aidan practically had to drag him out when he stood up to someone twice his size after hustling a game. There was no doubt Dean could have won the fight, but Aidan didn't want to have to explain anything to a cop – or to John Winchester.

"What's going on, Dean?" Aidan asked after he parked in the lot of a strip mall that was closed for the night. "You haven't been yourself in days."

"Don't you think what's going on is enough to make me a little irritable?"

"Maybe," Aidan conceded as he leaned against the car. "But you were handling it better before today."

"It was more that I wasn't thinking about it. Dad hasn't been in hunter mode and it was easy to push everything aside. Then earlier I heard him talking to Sammy and it all rushed right back." Dean looked at him. "Dad's going somewhere soon. I heard him tell Sammy."

"That's what he does, Dean."

"He said he had something to do."

"That's not unusual." Aidan watched as his young friend paced. A moment later Dean picked a rock up from the ground and forcefully threw it across the parking lot.

"You have a couple of options," Aidan said. "You can try to talk to your father or you can suck it up."

Dean looked at him; his eyes already betraying what he would do. Aidan sighed and put an arm around Dean's shoulders, a little surprised that he didn't immediately pull away.

_imtIMTimt_

John knew that if he didn't leave before Caleb and Bobby arrived, it would be too hard to go without them. They'd both been hurt enough on his behalf, especially Caleb. He wasn't exactly sure where Elkins was these days, but he had a lead and he wanted to check it out alone. Bobby took Caleb from the hospital late on Wednesday and John knew they were still at least two hours out when he was ready to leave.

"Do you have everything?" Jim asked him as they stood outside.

"I think so."

Jim put a hand on his shoulder and looked him in the eye. "Be careful. You and Elkins were friends once, but that was a while ago."

"I know," John nodded, looking toward the house. Joshua was coming toward him with his duffle bag thrown over a shoulder. "Where are you going?"

"With you."

"No."

"You don't have a choice. Besides, it's my lead you're following," he said and threw his bag in the open trunk of the car John borrowed from Jim. He was sitting in the passenger seat before John could protest again.

He sighed and walked toward the boys who were watching from the porch.

"Be careful," Dean said, extending his hand.

John shook it, then pulled him into a hug. "I will. Take care of yourself and your brother. I shouldn't be gone long."

"Yes, sir," Dean whispered before pulling away.

"You remember what I told you, Sammy."

His younger son nodded.

oooOOOooo

Joshua drove while John made phone calls and tried to track down Daniel. The one lead they had got them closer, but didn't pan out completely. They slept infrequently over the next couple of days, ate only when Joshua insisted on it, and stopped to rest just short of passing out from exhaustion. Every time they thought they were close, they found out they were further away than the time before. John was so consumed by the search that he had to set reminders on his cell phone to call the boys.

He fell asleep in a worn recliner in yet another run-down motel room, a stack of documents on his lap. Joshua was asleep on top of one of the beds, his booted feet dangling over the side. John's eyes opened, but there was something off about the room. It was as if it was just out of focus and he closed his eyes, hoping to clear his vision. When he opened them again, the room still seemed wrong. He looked around and just as the lamp flickered next to him, he noticed the clock on the bedside table had stopped. He glanced at his watch; it had also stopped.

John jumped out of the chair, the documents falling to the floor, and called out for Joshua. When he said nothing, John slapped his leg, but still got no response.

"John."

He turned at the sound of the familiar voice and glared at the demon who stood before him.

"You're not going to find Daniel. At least not yet."

"What have you done to him?"

The demon feigned an innocent look. "Nothing! He trained you, John, and he knows how to avoid you."

"Is that what you're here to tell me?"

"No." The demon smiled and moved a few paces away. He glanced at Joshua before sitting down on the other bed. "I don't really care if you find him or not. He won't help you."

"Why are you here?"

The demon leaned back comfortably and smiled at John, his yellow eyes glowing. "I really like messing with you. I made a good choice with your boy because I got you in the bargain; you're very entertaining. You've worked like hell, pardon the pun, to protect him. You've learned a lot and become an impressive adversary. But in the end, you will lose. You can't beat me, John. I'm here because I can be."

"Why my son? Why my family? What did you have to kill Mary?"

"She got in my way. She'd still be alive if she hadn't come in to check on Sammy. The four of you would be living your little lives in Kansas, none the wiser about me or the rest of the supernatural."

"Why Sammy? What is he to you?"

The demon shrugged. "That will all become clear someday."

"Leave him alone. Leave my sons alone and I'll do whatever you want."

The demon laughed. "You don't have anything I want and you can't do what your son will be able to do. I can't use you, John."

"What do you mean, what he'll be able to do?"

"Those silly little dreams he had don't mean a thing. They were a fluke, a mistake. But there will be abilities; later on, he'll be very useful to me."

John glared at the thing in front of him and slowly took a few steps backwards. He knew that Joshua wouldn't wake up because this was either a dream or something happening in a slightly different place than the motel room, so he was on his own. He wanted to get to the dresser across the room where he'd left a small velvet bag with an amulet that was rumored to give its owner power over a supernatural entity. He didn't know if that included demons in general, or this one in particular.

Just as he reached the dresser, the bag flew out of reach and John felt himself being thrown against the wall. Before he realized what was happening, the demon was standing right in front of him.

"John, John, John. That was a good move, but not quite good enough. And that amulet? It won't work on me. You're going to have to do a lot better."

"What do you want?" John demanded angrily, trying to move away from the wall.

"I've told you," the demon said, matching John's tone. "I want your son and I will have him. I'm here because I like you and, like I said before, you're fun to mess with. But this is the last time you're going to see me for a while. I have things to do and I'll be going underground, so to speak, to work on them. The next time you see me, you damn well better be prepared."

The demon patted John's cheek. "And take care of our boy until I'm ready for him."

"You're not getting my son," John growled.

The demon smiled. "Good talking to you, Johnny. See ya around."

John jerked awake and looked around the room. "Joshua!"

His friend was immediately awake and on his feet. "What?"

"Sonofabitch!" John slammed his hand onto the dresser. "It was real."

"What was real?" Joshua panted.

"The demon was here."

"The fuck?"

"The demon was here. He took that amulet we got a couple of days ago," John said and pounded the dresser again.

"Tell me what the hell you're talking about! What happened?" Joshua demanded.

Pacing angrily, John recounted his conversation.

"Do you think it's really gone?" Joshua asked quietly.

"For now, yeah, but for how long?" John pinched the bridge of his nose. "How much time do we have to figure out how to get rid of that bastard?"

"I don't know," Joshua breathed. "This is messed up, man."

John grabbed his phone and dialed Jim's number. He didn't know or care what time it was; he wanted to make sure his sons were all right.

_imtIMTimt_

It was just after four in the morning when Jim heard the telephone ringing. He reached for the extension next to his bed, but there was already talking coming through the receiver when he put it to his ear. It took him a moment to recognize the voice, but when he did he was awake and alert.

"Everything here is fine, John," he said when he finally had the chance. "I was sleeping –"

"Check on the boys. Please, Jim."

"Of course." He tossed off the covers and slipped into the house shoes next to his bed. He didn't bother with a robe and padded down the hallway to Sam and Dean's room. Everything looked normal from the outside and when he moved closer, he was positive they were sleeping peacefully. He went back to his room and picked up the receiver. "They're fine, John. They're asleep."

He heard his friend let out a long breath.

"Now that I'm awake, tell me again what happened."

John recounted what happened with the demon and Jim listened carefully.

"So, it would seem we have some time," he said when John finished.

"Yeah, but how much? And I don't like being screwed around. I don't want this thing to just come to me randomly whenever it wants to…."

"That's understandable," Jim agreed. "Did it give you any indication what it was going to be doing?"

"No, nothing," John grumbled. "We've reached the end of what we can do here. I think we'll be headed your way soon. I want to take the boys somewhere and spend some time with them; don't tell them about this."

"Of course not. Where are you?"

"We're probably about ten hours away. I'll call you when we're closer."

"Take care, John."

_imtIMTimt_

Joshua drove while John tried to figure out what to do. He had to find Elkins and somehow get him to give up the weapon; he fully believed that it was real and that his old friend knew where it was. He also had to find a way to track this demon so that it wasn't able to surprise him again. Getting the upper hand, sneaking up on the thing, was the only way to destroy it. If he could kill it, he could protect Sam. The boys could finally live normal lives and, honestly, that was all John ever wanted.

He didn't set out to be a hunter. He'd seen Mary on the ceiling and he knew the official cause of the fire, a problem with the electrical system in the house, was a lie. The investigators had no real way of explaining what happened so they stuck with something simple. But John couldn't let it go; he had to find out what really killed her. He wasn't prepared for the answer; he wasn't prepared for the life his questions would drag him into.

Maybe if he'd had some idea that the search for his wife's killer would take more than fifteen years, he might not have gone down that road. He never wanted to drag his sons from town to town. He knew that leaving them alone in rundown apartments or shabby motel rooms wasn't fair to them, but he felt that he had no choice. He left them with Jim when he could and made sure that Dean knew how to recognize danger and use the weapons.

He was proud of Dean, but he tried not to remember the little boy holding the gun that was too big for him or the knives that he learned to use too young. Most fathers had memories of their sons with baseball bats and footballs, but John's recollections were very different.

Sighing quietly, John straightened in the passenger seat and rubbed his face. He saw Joshua glance at him, but neither one spoke.

Sam was sitting on the front steps of Jim's house when they arrived late in the afternoon. John looked at him, but the boy didn't move from his spot.

"Go ahead," Joshua said. "I'll get the bags."

John nodded.

"Where's your brother?" John asked as he stood in front of Sam.

"He and Aidan went to the orphanage with Jim."

"Are you here alone?"

"Caleb is here."

John sat down next to him. "How's he doing?"

"He's burned, Dad."

John looked away and nodded. He had finally admitted to Sam that his dreams were more accurate than not, but still tried to downplay what that might mean. Even though Sam knew what to expect before Caleb arrived, John hadn't thought about how seeing him might affect Sam.

"You didn't say anything on the phone when I called –"

"What was I supposed to say, Dad? You were out there doing who knows what; how was I supposed to complain….I'm sorry, I shouldn't be dumping this on you the second you get here, but –"

"You're scared."

Sam looked at him, then stared straight ahead.

"Sammy," John put his arm around his son's shoulders. He was tired and scared himself; he didn't want to deal with this right now, but he had no choice. "I – I don't know what to say that will make you feel better. All I can do is promise you that you'll be okay."

John pulled him close. As much as he loved Sam, he wasn't very good at being his father. He was more sensitive than Dean and thought about things more deeply. John didn't know how to handle that and he wished that his older son was here to help. Sam responded to him much better and Dean always knew what to say to him.

"What's happening to me, Dad?" Sam asked, sounding young and afraid.

"Nothing, Sammy. I promise you'll always be protected."

John felt his son nod and he rested his cheek on Sam's head. He wished he had more moments like this with both of his sons, but it had always been more important to teach them self-defense. John sighed to himself.

Caleb came out of the house a few minutes later and John looked at him closely as Sam pulled away. He looked much better than two weeks before when John left him in the hospital.

Later, once everyone was home and dinner was finished, John sat in the living room with his friends and updated them on the latest visit from the demon. At John's request, Dean had taken Sam out so there was no chance either of them would overhear the conversation. Everyone agreed that the best course of action was to destroy the demon before it could do anything more to Sam. They weren't sure if it was telling the truth that the boy's recent dreams were just a fluke, but no one had a solution if it wasn't.

Jim practically begged John to tell the boys what was happening, but John refused to hear him. Now that he knew ore about what he was dealing with, he was certain he would be able to destroy the demon before Sam had to know anything.

oooOOOooo

After spending some time doing nothing but fun summer activities with the boys, John went back to work. He spent the next couple of months on high alert, but gradually relaxed when there were no more encounters with the demon. He stepped up the already demanding training for his boys, not realizing that he was becoming less of a father and more of a drill sergeant. Dean never complained, but Sam, who already had ideas of what he wanted from life, began to question his father and obeyed his orders only grudgingly and rarely without question. The occasional fights between Sam and John became more frequent and louder with Dean often finding himself in the middle, desperately trying to keep the peace.

He knew what was happening; they were losing Sam. John didn't see that his military attitude was not setting well with Sam and that if he didn't let the boy have something of his own, he would bolt at the first chance he got. Dean didn't question their father, but he tried to get him to explain what was behind the new discipline. All he was told was that they had to be on their toes at all times and that he had to look out for Sam.

Dean still enjoyed hunting, especially with his father. Despite the changes, Sam was still kept out of the worst of it and allowed to enjoy school. There was no denying the boy was smart, but Dean knew that Sam took solace in his schoolwork because it was the one normal thing in his life. He wanted more than the hunt and almost hid from it in his textbooks and research for school projects. But he attacked research for a job in the same way as he did for school and he was the envy even of those with more experience.

John believed what the demon had told him about Sam developing paranormal abilities and he knew what some hunters would think of that. He didn't want to put Sam in any more danger than necessary so he started limiting his exposure to other hunters. He trusted Jim, Caleb, Aidan, Bobby and even Joshua to a certain extent, but the boys were kept apart from anyone outside of that group. He continued his efforts to find Daniel Elkins, getting very close a few times, but the other hunter always proved to be just a little more skilled. John knew Elkins would eventually make a mistake and when that happened, he would be there to take full advantage of it.

The further away Sam got from the nightmares that had frightened him so much, the more he was able to convince himself that they meant nothing. Though he never got any real confirmation, he still believed them to be accurate, but when he didn't have any more, he allowed himself to almost forget about them.

Despite the fighting, he still loved his father, but he felt apart from him. In some ways, he also felt apart from Dean. He didn't understand his brother's blind faith in their father, nor did he like what it seemed to be doing to him. Dean's skills were as developed as any hunter's, but sometimes he was relegated to the background of a job for no reason Sam could see. Dean never questioned John's decisions, no matter how much they might hurt him. And he refused to talk to Sam about his pain, always insisting that he was fine.

For Dean's part, he knew he wasn't all right, but he didn't know how to be any other way. He took pleasure in activities with his brother, working with his father and the occasional jobs he did with Aidan. But without someone else to concentrate on, Dean was lost. When he was alone, he almost felt like he didn't exist. He thought his purpose in life was to protect his brother and kill evil things so when he wasn't doing one of those two things, he was a ghost in his own life.

_TBC_


	6. Chapter 6

**Father Knows Best**

Chapter 6

Disclaimer: See chapter 1.

A/N: This is just an itty-bitty wrap-up chapter. I suppose I could have included it with chapter five, but it just seemed to need its own space. I've already started something else, but I'm putting it on the backburner to work on yet another project. I have a fabulous opportunity that I'll tell you guys about when it's closer…. Just keep your eye on my profile page. Thanks to everyone who took the time to comment, either through a review or a private message. Your feedback means a lot to me and I almost always end up with a new idea from something someone has said. And, of course, to those who read and didn't comment. I appreciate you guys, too! Thanks as always to Kelli who reads all my stuff and tells me that someday I'll be a BNA (Big Name Author). I'm not quite sure how that's going to happen if I don't write anything original, but she tells me that's just a small detail to figure out.

So, until next time….this might be the shortest chapter I've ever written, but I'd love to know what you think!

oooOOOooo

_There's no other love like the love for a brother. There's no other love like the love from a brother - Astrid Alauda_

oooOOOooo

Dean sometimes thought back on that summer and in hindsight, things became clear. He realized that must have been when John learned they were hunting a demon and that Sam would have a connection to it. He wondered if things might have turned out differently if their father had given them more information. Would Sam have been so fast to walk away if he'd known what danger he faced? Would he and their father have gotten along better if John had been more forthcoming?

None of that mattered now. Maybe their father didn't know what was best, but he did what he thought he had to do because he loved them. Neither of them doubted that.

It had taken another eight years to find the weapon that Elkins had. It had been in his possession all along and it wasn't until his death at the hand of some vampires that it found its way to John. He didn't live to see the final battle with the demon; instead he sacrificed himself to it to save Dean's life and it was Dean who fired the gun that killed the demon for good.

Having gone through what they did while looking for their father after he disappeared and the events following his death, the brothers were closer than they ever had been. They still hadn't talked about their separation while Sam was in school, but it almost seemed like it didn't matter anymore. Too much else had happened since Dean went to Stanford asking for his help to find John.

Their relationship was stronger now than it ever had been and Dean was learning to appreciate Sam and lean on him in a way he never thought he would – or could. Sam would always be his little brother, but he also saw him as a full partner in the hunt now. And besides, he needed Sam to save him.

Dean still sometimes felt like his only purpose in life was to take care of Sam. When the demon kidnapped him and sent him to fight the other children like him; only one was supposed to make it out alive. His little brother died in his arms, but Dean couldn't let Sam stay dead. It had always been his job to look after Sam and to protect him. He couldn't do that if Sam was dead.

Dean had felt so completely lost and had no idea what he was supposed to do. Sam wasn't supposed to be dead; he couldn't be dead. So, Dean did the only thing he could do; the very same thing his father had done for him. He drove to a crossroads to summon the demon who could make the deal he needed. He never meant for Sam to find out, but he should have known he couldn't keep it from him.

Dean only got a year for his soul, but that still gave them time to figure a way out of the deal. Dean hadn't considered trying to break the deal, but Sam promised to find a way and he knew if anyone could, it was Sam. He just hoped it wouldn't be the last thing Sam ever did….

"What are you staring at?" Sam asked when he realized his brother hadn't moved in the last several minutes.

Dean shook his head. Sam was sitting across from him at some greasy diner in some nameless town, his nose in a book. That was how he spent a lot of time now, researching ways to save Dean's soul. They still had demons to send back to Hell and the FBI was still on their trail, but Sam's main focus was his brother.

"You okay?" Sam closed the book and looked at him more closely.

"Yeah; I was just thinking."

"What about?"

"Nothing important."

"Dean."

He closed his eyes briefly and nodded. It was still hard, even after all this time, but Dean was making an effort to be more open with his brother. He still needed the occasional prod, though.

"I was just thinking about Dad and that summer when you were fifteen."

Sam looked confused. "What was so special about that summer?"

"It was just a good summer," Dean said and shrugged. He was trying, but still kept some things to himself.

"That was when I had the first nightmares that turned out to be true," Sam said. He looked at his brother. "That job Dad went on….Did he go up against the demon? Was that why he refused to talk about that hunt?"

Dean wished he hadn't brought it up. "I don't know, Sam, but I think maybe so."

"And what was good about that summer?"

He tossed a paper napkin onto his plate. "Are you ready?"

"Come on, man, talk to me. What were you thinking about?"

"It wasn't all good," Dean conceded. "But we spent a few good weeks with Dad. Remember?"

Sam nodded. "He even took us fishing."

Dean smiled at the memory. "It was just the three of us; no hunting."

"You think Dad knew? You think he knew that the demon had plans for me?"

"Maybe."

"It scared him," Sam leaned forward. "Dad and I had a talk once; when we were working that first vampire job. When Daniel Elkins died…."

Dean nodded. "I remember the job."

"He told me that after Mom died he saw evil everywhere. He also said that he didn't want me to go away to school because I'd be alone and unprotected," Sam sighed. "If he'd only told us about the danger…."

"Yeah," Dean said. "I've thought about that. But he thought he'd keep us safe by not telling us everything that was out there. I don't know if he was right or wrong, but we can't change it now."

"I hope he's in a good place," Sam said quietly. "The man made me crazy, but I loved him. He was still my dad."

"Okay, we really have to get out of here now," Dean said as he slipped out of the booth.

Sam smiled to himself as he grabbed his book and followed. One day he knew they'd be able to have an serious conversation without Dean shutting down immediately afterward. Until then, he'd take what he could get.

As they walked across the parking lot to the Impala, Dean put his hand on Sam's shoulder. Sam glanced at him, surprised and confused, but he said nothing. He knew that it was still hard for Dean to admit he appreciated him. He took each gesture for what it was, grateful just to have Dean with him. Sam knew that if it hadn't been for their father's sacrifice, he would be dead. His brother's life was the greatest gift John could have given him.

Sam had his own secret and, so far, he didn't think Dean suspected anything. It wasn't just a way to save his brother's soul that Sam was researching. He was also looking into their mother's background. They didn't know much at all about their family, but it wasn't simple curiosity that prompted Sam to begin the search. When he was in the ghost town with the other children, the yellow-eyed demon showed him what happened the night his mother died. He saw the demon standing over his crib, his mother coming into the nursery to check on him, and the recognition in her eyes when it turned to face her.

He didn't tell Dean about what he'd seen. He knew how much he loved their mother and Sam wouldn't poke holes in that unless he had to. It was hard enough for Dean having lived through the alternate reality that the djinn showed him; a life where their mother didn't die and they hadn't grown up as hunters.

Sam glanced at his brother again and put his arm around his shoulders.

He would find a way to save his brother's soul and break the deal with the crossroads demon. Nothing would come before keeping Dean safe and he would do whatever it took because he'd done the same thing for Sam his entire life. Besides, his brother was that important.

_Fin_


End file.
